Blind Faith
by 4n0n1234
Summary: Ignis, Prompto, and Gladio are in a race against time to evacuate Altissia and get to Noctis to defeat Leviathan. The fight to get to Noctis, however, turns into a fight for their own lives. **Chapter 9 Spoilers**
1. Part I

**Blind Faith**

 **Part I**

Today was the day. Either it would be extremely successful with minimal damage and loss of life, or everything would be an utter disaster.

The docks of Altissia were swarming with people trying to get out of the city alive. In the midst of the crowd, three men worked together to move each individual, based on the district they were from within the city, to various boats docked along the shore.

"Alright, those in the second district follow me to this dock!" Gladiolus, a large man with tattoos covering his arms, yelled out to the crowd while motioning with his hand. A portion of the group separated themselves and fell in line behind him. He moved swiftly and confidently to a boat docked on the far side of the harbor.

"Those of you from the eighth district, come with me!" commanded Ignis, a spectacled man with an accent. He, too, moved a portion of the crowd to another dock and helped the evacuees onto a boat. Off to the side a smaller, scrawnier blonde, Prompto, checked off names on his paper, ensuring that each citizen was accounted for. The situation was slightly hectic, yet still controlled.

Just a few days prior, Gladio, Ignis, Prompto, and Noctis had met with the Head Secretary to discuss terms of forging a covenant with the Hydrean, Leviathan. Although she reluctantly gave her blessing to go forth and summon Leviathan, her terms stated that her citizens were to be evacuated safely. After all, her duty was to her people. What did it matter to her whether a group of four men were successful in summoning a God? As it were, Noctis was to go forth to summon the Hydrean alone until the rest of the guys were finished with evacuation duty.

Once his group was safely boarded onto their boat and departed, Gladio made his way back to Prompto, who was now sitting on a toppled box crate. "It looks like my team is good to go from this wave of citizens. Just double check that we grabbed everyone from my assigned districts so I know if I need to go find anyone," he asked.

Prompto carefully scanned his list, " looks like we got everyone. I don't see any missing people for now."

"Awesome. Thanks."

Just at that moment, Ignis came forward. "I believe my group is good to go. Just confirm for me, if you will," he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Once again, Prompto moved his finger down the list along the checkmarks that he has made throughout the afternoon. One by one, he noted that the Altissia citizens had been accounted for. He nodded and gave a thumbs up. The men looked around and noted that the entire square was empty for now, except for the three of them.

"You know, I'm surprised that the Imperials haven't shown up yet. I figured we'd be bashing some Magitek skulls right about now," Gladio exhaled loudly as he looked up at the sky, his large hand shielding his eyes from the sun. He'd never admit it, but he was starting to get anxious. Fighting off an entire army and ensuring that Noctis and Luna obtain the covenant of Leviathan wasn't an easy feat in the least, but he still had faith. The four men had gotten this far, but whether by luck or skill, he still wasn't sure.

"Come now, it's still early. Give it time. We don't want to let our guards down at any point today," cautioned Ignis, adjusting his glasses slightly higher on the bridge of his nose.

Prompto glanced up from his clipboard when he heard the chatter of another round of citizens as they hurried down to the waterfront. "Uh, guys?" He nudged their shoulders with the back of his hand. "Does someone want to put these people in an evacuation boat?"

So it went for the next hour. As word got out from the Altissian government that the citizens were to evacuate immediately, people would come to the docks to get onto the boats out to safety. Ignis and Gladio would sort and load the people by their district numbers into their respective vessels while Prompto would mark off each person in his long checklist. The cooler morning air made way for the stifling heat that was expected in a typical Altissia afternoon. When an Altissian official handed the men some water bottles, they took them graciously.

A break in the crowd allowed the men to take a breather with their water. Ignis shrugged his suit jacket off and placed it off to the side, rolling his shirt sleeves up to his elbows. He stood with one foot propped against a stone pillar, sipping from his bottle. Prompto sat on the ground next to him and brushed a strand of blonde hair from his face as a bead of sweat fell down his forehead.

The trio drank their water in silence, ruminating the rest of their day. It was still eerily quiet for a day that was supposed to be a day of reckoning. Gladio finished his water bottle and threw it in the nearby garbage. "How much longer do you guys think we have with this evacuation business?" he gruffly asked to no one in particular. The others continued to remain silent. Luckily, the Altissians were an understanding group of people and didn't question the hows and whys of the evacuation. They knew that Leviathan wasn't a beast to be messed with. That at least made the work a little easier to deal with.

Another hour, then two, and several more waves of evacuees passed through. The trio had the routine down pat: separate citizens by district, mark them off the checklist, load them into the boats, send them on their way. It was almost monotonous. Prompto brought the clipboard to his face and lightly tapped it against his forehead several times as Ignis and Gladio approached with their numbers from this round. "Do any of you want to switch for a bit? Maybe one of you can start checking people off and I can be the hero and lead people to the boats? I'm tired of having to do the boring work," he whined. Gladio and Ignis stopped further away than Prompto anticipated. Confused, he moved the clipboard from his face and recognized Ignis' solemn expression cast toward the sky.

Shadows started to spread across the ground as a fleet of Niflheim airships appeared around the city without notice. Prompto's eyes widened when he looked over his shoulder and detected what Ignis was staring at. Gladio flinched at the sight and growled, his hand moving instinctively to his Greatsword.

Without a moment's hesitation, Ignis grabbed his cell phone from his back pants pocket and dialed Noctis' number, putting the call on speakerphone. Although he was certain that the Prince was well aware of the situation at hand, Ignis felt needed to inform him for himself, for nothing else than his own peace of mind. He took a few steps away and adjusted his glasses, never moving his gaze from the Imperials. He could make out small figures dropping from the ships, presumably onto land on the other side of the city. His attention was diverted from the ships when Noctis picked up his phone. In the background, Ignis could hear cheering and applause. Before the rite, Luna was to give a speech to the world of Eos and inspire hope and faith in the people. Judging by the sound of jubilation he heard, it must have worked.

He didn't wait for a greeting from the Prince. "Noct, the empire's here."

A pause, and then came Noctis' voice through the phone. "I can see them," he acknowledged quietly. Ignis heard Gladio and Prompto approach him from behind. More people were now trickling into the port, ready to be moved offshore. Ignis motioned with a gloved hand toward the people to alert his friends of their arrival, his face remaining stern and his eyes still on the ships. Prompto fidgeted with the edge of his black leather vest and bit his lower lip. Gladio remained standing by Ignis' side with both hands interlocked over his head, listening to the conversation.

The plan had been discussed numerous times the night before and well into the morning, but Ignis still felt it beared repeating. "Drop ships are closing in on the port. Look for an advantage point to approach them," he advised, careful to not raise his voice any louder than necessary to arouse any chaos from the public.

"Okay, look after the citizens."

Gladio smirked. "We've got them covered."

Prompto exhaled loudly, his voice betraying any sign of bravery on his face. "So . . . it begins."

As Ignis hung up the phone, the ground began to shake. The trio dropped to their knees and looked around as a loud, guttural noise came from the far outer edge of the city. The shaking and rumbling went on for what felt like an eternity, but it was probably no more than a minute or so. Pandemonium amongst the citizens broke out, a drastic change from the peaceful evacuation process only a short time ago.

"What the hell was that?!" Prompto yelled, his hands gripped onto the cobblestone road under them. As they stood up, an explosion about a mile or so away caused them to fall again. Gunshots echoed through the air and the unmistakable hum of the Imperial airships droned on above them, honing in on what could only be where the awakened Leviathan was.

The scene around them was quickly dissolving into one of absolute madness. People ran in every direction to find shelter, howling and crying in fear. Large waves crashed against the seawall and drenched those who were unfortunate enough to be nearby as it happened. Although the Imperial ships were still at a distance, the sounds of gunfire and explosions were as loud as if they were right next to them. "We need to get the people to their boats, immediately!" ordered Ignis. He stood first and held a hand out to Prompto to help him up, surveying the chaos around them. They had to get this under control and fast; otherwise, the blood of the Altissians would be on their hands. "Gladio, your voice carries farther. Give them directions."

Gladio examined the scenery around them and noticed a stack of three square, wooden crates by an alleyway. He ran over and jumped to the top, cupping his hands over his mouth. "Everyone, listen up!" he commanded with a booming voice over the commotion. The crowd quieted down just enough to hear what he had to say. "If you are from districts two, five, nine, and ten, you are to report to Mr. Scientia here immediately and he will take you to your boats. The rest will follow me to safety, meeting just over there," he pointed to a spot not too far off behind the crowd. "Move quickly and do not fall behind. We don't have much time."

He hopped down from his makeshift stage and navigated through the throngs of people to the location he pointed out. Ignis did the same, moving fast to get to where Gladio told the people to meet. Once he made his way to the front of the crowd, Ignis turned to face them and noted the nervous looks everyone had. "Your evacuation boats are this way. We'll get everyone to safety, but make sure you're paying attention so you don't miss where you're supposed to be. There's no room for error here. Now, let's go," he instructed, turning on his heels and leading everyone to a row of boats that had just pulled into port, designating who was to go where. The heaving waves did not make it easy for anyone to get settled into their seats on their boats.

As he moved people into the boats and walked up and down the docks, Ignis' cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw Noctis' name on the caller ID. He caught his comrades' attention and they both met him in the middle of the square. Ignis picked up and placed it on speakerphone for the three of them to hear. Once again, he didn't wait for Noctis to speak. "Noct, has the Hydrean has awoken?" he asked, though he already knew the answer. The darkened sky and roaring seas were a dead giveaway.

"Yeah, she's up and she's _pissed_. But how are you guys? And the civilians?" Noctis inquired, a little more hurried and out of breath than he was in their last conversation just moments prior.

"Almost there, we'll join you when we're done," reassured Gladio.

"It looks like the empire has the Hydrean surrounded. Hurry, Noct!" a sense of urgency in Ignis' voice as he looked up to the sky at the army around them.

"I'm on it," he replied.

"Then the rite's already begun?" Gladio asked, more to Ignis than anyone.

"Most likely," they heard Noctis answer through the phone. Gladio hissed through his gritted teeth and rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. He shook his head and strode away to evacuate the rest of the citizens to their boats.

"Time to lend the Hydrean a hand!" Prompto exclaimed with a cheerful tone, pumping a fist into the air. He jogged after Gladio to get the last of his district's population marked off as 'safe'.

Ignis nodded and hung up without another word. He trusted Noctis and his ability to get things done. Still, something about the entire situation left him feeling uneasy in the pit of his stomach. Quelling the thought for now, he continued to load people onto the boats, much faster than before. He knew that the Imperials were going to close in soon.

As the boats filled to capacity, he would release the lines that moored them to the docks and instruct the captains to get as far away as possible until further notice. One by one, he'd watch as the boats would speed off toward the canal that led to the ocean, falling in line with the boats that were coming from Gladio's side of the docks.

Finally down to the last boat, Ignis stood aside and assisted the dwindling group of citizens into the craft. One child, no more than four years old, looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Um, mister? Where are we going?" he asked, hugging a small Chocobo plushie to the side of his face.

Ignis smiled reassuringly. "Just out to sea for a bit. Don't worry, everything will be ok and you'll be back home in no time," he responded. The boy smiled back, satisfied with the answer. He took Ignis' hand for balance and hopped into the boat, dawdling away to sit with his family. Ignis looked on, his mind racing. _Of course, everything would be ok. It had to be. It always was._

After he observed that everyone was seated safely, he knelt down and released the line, tossing the large bundle of rope into the boat. He took his glasses off and tried to wipe the water away from the lenses, a slight headache coming on. _Where was some aspirin when you needed it,_ he thought.

From behind, Prompto tapped him on the shoulder and held out his clipboard. "Hey Iggy, check this over and make sure everyone's accounted for. We should be ok, but just double check" the blonde yelled in his ear over the waves. Ignis replaced his glasses on his face, inwardly groaning at the fact that wiping the lenses only made the water smear. He always hated when his glasses were anything less than crystal clear. Rolling his eyes, he took the clipboard, mentally checking every citizen off from his memory with what Prompto had listed.

As he finished reviewing Prompto's list, a low hum broke his concentration. Both men spun around. From behind, the Imperials and their ships were moving closer overhead, almost appearing on top of them. They watched as the ships released more Magitek drones over the city. A loud bang nearby, presumably from a bomb of some sort, deafened those in the area and a building crumbled under the blast. The Magitek were closing in on the port and, by default, the trio.

Ignis turned to the boat captain and grew angry when he noticed the captain was staring dumbfounded at the ships with his mouth dropped. "What are you waiting for? Get these people out of here, now!" he bellowed. This startled the captain as he jumped to attention and fumbled with his keys, finally getting the boat to sputter to life. Water bubbled up behind the boat as the captain pushed one of the levers up and turned the wheel as far left as he could. Once he was a safe distance away from the dock, the captain piloted the boat away as fast as he could. Another boat, presumably the one with Gladio's people, raced away soon after.

"Guys! Over here!" Gladio called out. The gunshots that seemed so distant before were just streets away now. Clanking metal reverberated from the alleyways and behind buildings. When both saw that no more boats were around and the citizens of Altissia were deemed safe, Ignis and Prompto raced over to where Gladio was standing with his Force Stealer resting on his shoulder, his gaze on the street before them. "It looks like we finally have company."

Prompto pulled his Valiant firearm and cocked it, ready for action. "What would a summoning be without our good ol' Imperial buddies?"

A pair of Delta Daggers materialized from the air for Ignis and he crouched into a defensive stance. "Not a very good one," he retorted and smirked as the metallic soldiers finally came into view around them, marching toward them emotionlessly. Their red eyes zeroed in on the trio and, without warning, their slow marching turned into an all out sprint, having identified their prospective targets.

"Let's do this." Gladio leapt first into battle, swinging his Force Stealer in a wide, sweeping motion in front of him, taking out a handful of Magitek. Sparks flew through the air as some short-circuited from the hit. Before he could get his bearings on where to focus next, a cold robot hand grabbed his hair from behind and threw him to the ground, knocking his head onto the pavement with such force that it caused Gladio to see stars. As the hand came down to grab him again, the crack of a gunshot and the resulting bullet nailed the bot in the face, saving Gladio. Ignis reached down and pulled Gladio away from the fray as Prompto aimed another shot at a pair of Magitek closing in on the friends.

"Are you alright?" Ignis yelled above the battle with his hand resting on Gladio's shoulder.

"Oh, that? It'll take a lot more than that to take me out," he laughed, giving a thumbs up and a wink. Ignis paused, his eyes still on Gladio. He shrugged his friend's hand off his shoulder. "I'm fine, really! Now let's go! Prompto can't take this army on alone and we still need to get to Noct."

Ignis nodded in agreement and immediately jumped back into the battle. He vaulted into an aerial cartwheel, bringing his daggers down onto a droid that had his gun aimed at Prompto. He dragged the daggers down the entire back of its head, exposing all of its inner machinery. As his feet touched the ground, he kicked his right leg back, landing a hit in a vulnerable Magitek's abdomen and knocking him to the pavement. Before the bot could get back up, Ignis brought his foot down on its face and crushed it under his heel.

"Behind you!" Prompto alerted Ignis. He ducked right as Prompto shot more rounds at an incoming horde of Magitek. A few feet away, Gladio brought his sword down on another Magitek bot and smashed it to pieces, sending bits of shrapnel flying at Ignis who was still crouched down. When he was certain that Prompto was done unleashing bullets on their enemies, Ignis threw his daggers into the heart of the melee and landed a direct hit on one of the Magitek. As he raced in to retrieve them, a loud screech above sent the three diving to safety wherever they could find it. An airbike carrying two Magitek bots crash landed hard on the ground and skidded to a stop. They both located the men and, with their firearms, began firing round after round at them.

"Shit! How many of these guys are there?" Gladio shouted over the war around them, scrambling for his sword and immediately landing a hit that knocked both droids out. He bolted off and jumped high into the air, coming down hard with his sword on a Magitek who was poised and ready to attack with a saber in its hand. Behind, Gladio heard Ignis stab a bot that had appeared from a side street, a shrill noise escaping from the machine as the red eyes dimmed to black, signifying its death.

"Should have known better than to think this would be easy," complained Prompto as he shot three more Magitek before they could reach him.

"That was your first mistake then," Gladio chided, rolling his eyes at the naivete of his comrade, parrying an attack from another Magitek.

"Oh yeah," Prompto spat over his shoulder, "stupid me for being slightly optimistic!"

"That's enough, you two! Fo-," Ignis started to berate the two, but the airbike from earlier caught his eye. A thought came to him. He knew they'd never get to Noctis if they stayed here, fighting wave after wave of Imperial Magitek while Leviathan threw debris and tendrils of water every which way. He fought off another bot with a jab of a dagger at its neck. "Prompto! Take the bike and get to Noct!"

"What? Me? Alone? You're crazy! What about you two?" he cried, loading bullets into the chamber of his gun and shooting at a Magitek behind Gladio.

"Don't worry about us! Noct needs our help and we all can't fit on that. Now go!"

Prompto fired one last shot and slightly wavered, but then dashed to the abandoned airbike. He struggled to pick it up off its side from the weight of it. Once he had it upright and was seated, his fingers pressed a few buttons and the bike shot into the air. His steering was jerky as he tried to become acclimated to the machine and he flew dangerously close to where Gladio and Ignis were still engaged in battle. They dropped to the ground to avoid getting decapitated, but several Magitek weren't as lucky and were demolished.

"Dammit Prompto, quit messing around and watch where you fly that thing!" Gladio shouted through fallen Magitek bodies and smoke, though Prompto had already flown off before he heard. As he stood up and prepared for more fighting, he saw Ignis run by him. Without a second thought, he chased after him. "Iggy, where are you going?" he called after him.

Ignis continued to run with Gladio following behind, bullets from firearm-wielding Magitek whizzing by them. "We need to get ahold of Noct. He doesn't know Prompto's coming," he yelled over his shoulder. Ahead, he noticed a deserted kiosk. He increased his pace and pointed it out to Gladio. "Quick, let's get behind that cart," he skidded to a stop and pulled Gladio behind it. They crouched low as the Magitek continued by, not realizing their targets had taken refuge behind the kiosk. Despite a few cuts and bruises, they didn't appear to be in bad shape. The pair took a second to catch their breath as the skies opened up to release a massive rain storm, no doubt caused by Leviathan.

"Well, we never said the Imperials created a smart line of drones, did we?" Gladio joked about the Magitek, still gasping for breath.

Ignis chuckled softly while pressing a button on his phone to call Noctis, quickly patching in Prompto's number as well to create a conference call of sorts. Both answered, but they were drowned out by the noises of explosions and Leviathan. "Noct, Prompto is headed your way!"

"But what about you guys?" asked Noctis over the shrill roar of Leviathan.

"The airbike only has room for two. We'll be up shortly."

The whistling of passing air sounded through the phone. "Noct, jump!" directed Prompto. Ignis listened, his heart suddenly in his throat. _Jump? What did he mean, '_ jump _'?_

Noctis seemed to be thinking the same thing. "What?"

"You better know what you're doing, Prompto!" warned Gladio.

"No time for questions! Just trust me!"

Noctis' voice faltered. "Aw, man . . ." Then a loud scream, the thud of a body hitting the airbike, and cheering and nervous laughter from Prompto and Noctis echoed through the phone before the call was cut off. Ignis and Gladio exhaled in relief. At least they were safe for now.

The rain was making it impossible for Ignis to see through his glasses. He tried again to wipe the water away with the edge of his shirt, but it did nothing to help as his clothes were soaked. He put his glasses back on anyway and slowly peered out from behind the kiosk, calculating the best way to reach Noctis and Prompto. He froze as his eyes identified a familiar figure coming toward them. He reached behind and grabbed Gladio's arm. "We have a visitor."

"Let me guess; more Magitek?" he lamented, slightly annoyed.

"That would be child's play compared to this."

Puzzled, Gladio peeked around the other side of the kiosk. There were no more Magitek in the streets. Instead, Ravus Nox Fleuret, a tall, slender man with white hair and a bionic left arm, stood only yards away. He had a bored look on his face as he stared at the kiosk where they were hidden. "Where is Noctis?" he calmly asked over the storm.

Ignis and Gladio sat back behind the kiosk again, contemplating what to do next. The silence, only penetrated by the rain and waves, seemed to stretch on forever. "Let's just focus on staying alive until Prompto can get back to us, shall we?" Ignis suggested somewhat sarcastically under his breath. Gladio snorted, his hand gripped on his weapon nearby. They stood and came around to the front of the cart, facing their new competition.

"If you were paying attention, you'd know that Noct is with your sister and Leviathan," Gladio quipped.

Ravus took a few steps toward them. "Ah, the Sworn Shield of the King," he nodded toward Gladio. "I hope you've brushed up on your skills since we last met?"

Before he could even move, Ignis grabbed Gladio's forearm to stop him from doing anything brash. The last time their paths intercepted, Ravus made quick work of Gladio. They needed to think smarter this time. Working on just strength alone wouldn't ensure them a victory. When he felt that Gladio had calmed down, he slowly let go and turned his attention back to Ravus. "If you know where Noct is, then why are you here? Seems like a rather waste of time to be here when you could be there."

Ravus continued his slow pace toward them, his voice low and quiet. "True, I could end Noctis in one fell swoop, but there's more to the situation than that. I have something that he may find of interest."

"I'm not buying it," Gladio replied flatly. "What do you want?"

Before Ravus could respond, another familiar figure appeared out of nowhere. A large, enigmatic figure strolled between the three with a sense of authority. "Ravus, there you are. I thought I lost you there for a minute," he spoke with a sense of humor in his voice.

 _Ardyn_ , thought Ignis. His body went cold at the arrival of the man. Although Ardyn seemed to be an ally of sorts throughout their entire journey to obtain the covenants of the Gods and getting back to Luna, there was still a sinister side of him that Ignis caught on to early into their first meeting back in Galdin Quay. Something didn't sit quite right.

"I see you've found my friends," he smiled, his head tilted toward Ignis and Gladio. Ravus stood still, his hands balled into fists by his side. Out of the corner of his eye, Ignis noticed Gladio take a slight step backward. Ardyn rested a hand on the High Commander's bionic arm. "Now, Ravus, shall we go find your dear sister? I think she'd be absolutely delighted to see your face. After all, you haven't seen her for quite some time, am I right?"

The air was tense. Ardyn was playing with Ravus. Judging by Ravus' unwavering face, it was clear he was trying to throw Ardyn off. His eyes were fixed on Ignis and Gladio but they appeared lifeless. Ardyn rolled his eyes and tossed his head back, sighing loudly. "Ravus, your silence is insufferable and has gone on long enough. You may think you have outsmarted me, but my patience with you is wearing thin. Let's be off. The Hydrean awaits us, along with your sister and the Prince. Oh, wait," he hesitated and brought a finger to his chin. "I've almost forgotten about our friends. What kind of person would I be if I didn't leave them with a proper goodbye? They did come all this way and worked so hard in doing so."

Ravus' eyes flickered, his lips pursed tightly as Ardyn's grip on his shoulder tightened. Ardyn raised his chin as he glared menacingly through the rainstorm at Gladio and Ignis. "Now, be a good High Commander and dispose of these two before we go greet the Hydrean."

"Woah, wait. What? What about all those times you helped us in Lucis?" Gladio recoiled, his eyes widened. Ignis continued to stay quiet, his mind plotting how to escape this situation alive. Fighting Ravus was one thing, but including Ardyn in on that battle would guarantee sudden death to both of them. On all accounts, they were trapped.

Ardyn shrugged and gave a lopsided grin. "Ah, yes, about that; My intentions may not have been the purest at heart. I really and truly _did_ want you all here with me, but it's much more than that. As such, I don't expect you to grasp the reasonings behind my motives but, believe me, you'll come to understand in time," his words dripping with mockery and disdain, a sharp change from the eccentric and boisterous Ardyn that they came to know in Lucis.

Suddenly, a loud cheer came from above. Everyone's attention was drawn to Prompto as he flew in and jumped off his airbike, allowing it to continue on its course and crash into a large stone pillar a block away. "Guys! Noct is in! Come on, let's destroy some Hydrean butt!" He smiled brightly from the rush of adrenaline. However, his face faltered when he noticed Gladio and Ignis barely even glanced his way, their body language tense.

"Prompto, my boy! Welcome! You've come at the right time!" Ardyn clapped his hands together in joy. As he heard his voice, Prompto spun around, his eyebrows furrowed. "It wouldn't be near as fun to mess with our dear friend, Noct, without his best friend here. To catch you up, I was just telling Ravus here to dispose of your friends. Now that you're here though, I say let's have some fun and make it a game."

Prompto jumped slightly from where he stood and backed up until he was in line with Gladio and Ignis, his hands lifted to his chest as if to show he meant no harm. Ignis' eyes darted back and forth between Ravus, Ardyn, and his two comrades. He watched as Ardyn smirked, his eyes turned to Ravus with a sardonic glint to them.

Ardyn tipped his hat back slightly, getting a better look at Ravus. "You know that I know where your sister is right now. You know that I know the importance of getting to Noctis. I think you also know how important these three are to our dear old Prince," he motioned to Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto with a wide sweep of his arm. Still, Ravus remained unmoved. "I want you to dispose of one of the Prince's friends. Any one you want. Make him bleed so that Noctis can feel the pain deep in his bones. Unless that is, you'd rather dear Lady Lunafreya to suffer?" he spoke in a caustic tone.

A roar from Leviathan off in the distance reverberated through Altissia to the men standing at the harbor as the rain continued to fall. No one dared to move at this point. It was a tense standoff. Ravus continued to stare blankly at the trio without a hint of emotion anywhere on his face. After what felt like an eternity, Ardyn sighed loudly. "Oh goodness, I didn't think this would be that hard of a choice. No matter, I'll make the choice for you," he decided, pacing around the small area between them. "Now, we all know I love nursery rhymes, so I would hope you've heard of a little poem called 'Three Blind Mice''."

Ravus' eyes narrowed, but he still made no move toward the three. Ardyn took a few steps forward toward the three. For every couple of steps he took, Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto took a few steps back. Yet, they failed to see the canal that ran through the middle of the city, ending right behind them. Unless they wanted to fall into the water and get swept out to sea by the rushing waves, they had nowhere to go. With their weapons in hand, they watched as Ardyn continued his descent on them. Ardyn's hand waved through the air as if he were conducting a symphony, pointing at each man in front of him one at a time.

"Three blind mice / Three blind mice / See how they run / See how they run / They all ran after the farmer's wife / Who cut off their tails with a carving knife / Did you ever see such a sight in your life / As three blind mice?" he recited, his finger slowly pointing toward Ignis as he finished. "As you may have noticed, there's always a method to my madness, so to speak. I guess you could say that I _am_ one for ambiguity. You understand, right? Ignis Scientia?"

Gladio and Prompto looked at Ignis, a mix of confusion and anger on their faces. In the background, Ravus' face began to fall as he realized what was happening. Ardyn was the King of Mind Games and he played them well. Ravus knew he was singling out Ignis for a reason. He began to pull the sword from its sheath, but stopped as Ardyn continued to speak.

"It's painfully obvious that you are the brains of the 're always able to guide your friends and see them through to the end. You are the one that has all the data and information in that head of yours. You are the one that has, time and time again, saved your friends from harm with your wit and quick thinking. I guess you could say your vision and sight are a valuable asset to you and your team, wouldn't you?"

Ardyn's right hand glowed a fiery red as he conjured a spell. While Gladio and Prompto stayed in their defensive stances, Ignis had straightened up, his daggers held loosely in his hands, almost looking defeated. Whatever Ardyn had in mind, there was no way to outrun deflect it. The waves in the water around them intensified and the rain came down harder than before. Another screech from Leviathan came from the distance as a large waterspout formed around her.

"How do we blind three mice with one hit? Simple; we take out the leader, of course. So, let's see how well your friends will fare without you guiding them anymore," Ardyn threatened, hurling a large and powerful fireball toward the trio. There was no second to react as the fireball blazed through the air at an ungodly rate.

Pain erupted across his entire face. Immediately, he brought his hands to his eyes and fell to his knees, a jarring scream escaping his mouth. The daggers he had in his hands clanked on the ground. He smelled the pungent scent of burning flesh and felt the intense agony as the fire burned away his skin. His eyewear shattered in the explosion and he knew the glass had sliced the bridge of his nose, his eyebrow, and his right eye. He kept waiting for the pain to subside, but it only seemed to get worse.

Prompto and Gladio instantly dropped his side, trying desperately to figure out what to do as Ignis continued to cry out, his own hands never leaving his face. Ardyn's maniacal laughter rang in Ignis' ears and he heard his footsteps draw close.

Ardyn knelt down and picked up one of the fallen daggers from the ground, examining it closely. "I see you won't have any use for this, so I hope it's alright that I borrow it," he said as he twirled the dagger in his hand before placing it inside his coat. As he stood, he grabbed Ignis by his hair, yanking his head back violently so that Ignis was forced to look up at Ardyn, eliciting another scream from him.

Ignis breathing was labored as he tried to focus, but Ardyn's grasp on his hair only intensified how painful his injuries were. Ardyn stared down at him for a moment, examining his face. "Let's just consider this a small sacrifice in the greater battle, shall we?" he taunted before throwing Ignis to the side with such force that he hit the ground with a loud 'thud', causing him to groan loudly.

Gladio snarled, his focus moving from Ignis to Ardyn. He grabbed his Greatsword from the ground and suddenly lunged at him. "You sick son-of-a-bitch!" he yelled, raising his weapon high above him, leaving his entire front exposed.

"Temper, temper," cooed Ardyn as he gracefully sidestepped Gladio, using his knee to land a hard hit in his stomach. Gladio doubled over, his arms crossed over his abdomen as he gasped for air.

"Aw, let me ease your pain there, Gladiolus," he offered, bringing a closed fist down on the back of his head right above his neck, quickly knocking him out.

"Gladio!" cried Prompto. He started to rush to him, but stopped, unsure of who to tend to. Ignis was now lying on the ground in a slight fetal position, his screams now just softer whimpers. Gladio, on the other hand, was unmoving just a few feet away, his arms pinned under his body and still crossed across his stomach.

Ardyn sensed Prompto's dilemma and stalked over to him, a devilish grin on his face. When he was less than an arm's length away from him, Ardyn brought his hand up and ran it down Prompto's cheek. Prompto closed his eyes in fear and his lower lip quivered.

Ardyn brought his mouth close to Prompto's ear. "And then there's you. My my, do I have some fun games in store for you."

"That's enough!"

Ardyn pulled away and dropped his hand from Prompto's face, looking over his shoulder at Ravus. He was still standing in the same spot, watching the entire scene unfold. His white hair clung to his face from the continued onslaught of the rain and wind and the waves were now flooding the streets around them. He stood taller than before as Ardyn turned around to face him head on.

"Look at you, trying to be brave all of a sudden. You might be too late for that though." Ardyn formed another spell in his hand, this time much darker in appearance. "You had your chance and I grow tired of your insubordination." Ardyn hurled the spell at Ravus' chest and watched as Ravus dropped to the ground without a sound, unconscious.

He stepped over Ravus' body and talked with his back to everyone, but his voice sounded a lot more chipper than it was before. "Well gentlemen, it has been an absolute _pleasure_ to see you again, but I have business to attend to. Surely you understand. It is rude, after all, to keep a lady waiting. And I'll be sure to send Noctis your regards as well," Ardyn looked back, tipped his hat at the group, and walked away to his airship parked at the end of the harbor.

Prompto shook his head to snap himself out of the trance of fear that seized him, fumbling with his gun as he started to run after him. "Hey! No, wait, come back! You can't leave!" he yelled, tripping over his own feet.

"Prompto, don't . . ." Ignis struggled to get up, but his arms could barely support his upper body up off of the cobblestone. Prompto snapped his head back and saw his friend trying desperately to get up. It took everything he had not to chase after Ardyn in a fit of adrenaline-induced rage, but he knew Ignis needed him. Now wasn't the time to play 'hero'. Instead, he turned and hurried back to Ignis' side.

Everything was hazy, but Ignis wasn't sure anymore if it was due to his injury or the monsoon going on around them. He was drained of any vigor and vitality to fight anymore. Still, he held onto the little bit of consciousness he had left.

Prompto, now back at Ignis' side, placed a hand on his back. Ignis looked back in his direction, only seeing a blonde blur where he knew Prompto should be. He opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was another harrowing moan. He rolled onto his back, more aware now than ever that his eyesight was damaged. He tried to reach a hand up to his face, but his body wouldn't respond to what his brain commanded.

Prompto sat on the ground with his legs tucked under him. He moved Ignis' head onto his lap and winced. Ignis' entire left eye and the area around it had taken on a charred appearance, the skin burned away to reveal muscle underneath. Streaks of blood covered the other half of his face from the gashes he sustained where his glasses shattered. It was more than Prompto could bear as he tried to put on a brave face. "Hey Iggy, come on. just stay awake a little longer. It's just me right now and I need you. Look, Gladio is still knocked out and that Ravus guy is out and the tide will be coming in soon, so please don't go to sleep on me yet," Prompto rambled. He shook uncontrollably, but he wasn't sure if it was from the chill of the rain or if it was from the fear he felt. No amount of potions or elixirs would fix this. Still, he continued to talk to Ignis in hopes that it kept him awake. "Come on buddy, I need you. I don't know what to do. Please don't go to sleep yet."

The sound of Ardyn's airship roared overhead, headed in the direction of the battle with Leviathan. It was the last thing Ignis saw before he let himself succumb to darkness.


	2. Part II

**Blind Faith**

 **Part II**

Ignis stirred from what felt like a 100-year slumber. He expected to look around and see the inside of the green Coleman tent that the four of them slept in night after night when they went camping. Before even opening his eyes, he knew that Noctis would be curled in a ball at his feet and Prompto would be sprawled out lazily to his left. Gladio would probably be awake, about ready to get in a morning hike. Ignis knew that he'd have to get up and get his Ebony coffee caffeine fix in soon before getting started on breakfast for everyone, otherwise, he'd be really cranky and irritable. As he tried to move, he realized every inch of his body ached to the point that it almost wasn't worth it to get up.

 _Odd_ , he thought. He didn't remember doing anything strenuous yesterday and he definitely didn't remember drinking enough alcohol to bring on anything remotely close to a hangover. He groaned and felt around for his glasses, normally placed carefully by his head alongside his phone before he fell asleep. Instead of the usual tent material though, he felt sheets and a mattress but no eyewear. When he tried to open his eyes to visually look for his glasses instead, he realized he saw nothing. Emptiness.

It was slowly dawning on Ignis that he wasn't in the tent, but actually in a bed. He felt the weight of a comforter covering him and became aware of the fact he wasn't wearing his usual suit attire, but rather some loose fitting comfortable clothes akin to pajamas. The sound of muffled chatter came from the other side of a wall, but he had no clue where he was or how he had gotten there. He honestly felt like he had been hit by a bus and left for dead, his head pounding with a splitting headache. When he went to lick his lips, he flinched at the sting of his split and swollen lower lip. He brought his hand to his face and felt the entirety of his skull and eyes wrapped tightly in gauze. Once again, he tried to open his eyes to see something, anything, yet still, nothing came. _This bloody gauze must be wrapped too tight_ , he assumed, trying to find the end of the bandages so he could start to unwrap them.

He stopped as a thought came to him suddenly. _Wait, why is my head wrapped in gauze? What is going on?_

The conversation outside of the room ceased as the door gently opened. He heard a pair of footsteps creep in, one set coming to the side of the bed while the other remained behind. Ignis turned his head. "Hello?" he said, his voice a lot raspier than he was used to. It caught him by surprise, almost like he hadn't used it for a bit. _How long was I asleep for_

"Hey there, Iggy. Good to have you back, man. We were really worried about you," Prompto's timid voice came from the doorway. Ignis could picture him fidgeting with the hem of his black leather vest as he tried to be brave, but his voice always seemed to betray him. It wasn't unusual for Prompto to get nervous about certain situations, but what reason would he have to be nervous now?.

 _Did I miss something while I was asleep_?

Every attempt at formulating a thought proved difficult and his mind felt cloudy. He still couldn't figure out why he was in a bed instead of in their tent somewhere. Even if they were staying at a Levelle somewhere, it wouldn't explain the bandages around his head. Ignis tried to push himself up on his elbows but a shooting pang radiated from his head and down the back of his neck, eliciting a hiss through gritted teeth from him at the sudden pain.

Gladio's large hand rested on his shoulder and slowly guided him to lay back down. "Easy there, buddy. You've been out for a few days. Doctors said you suffered a wicked concussion, so you're probably going to feel pretty sore for a while," he spoke softly as he pulled a chair closer to the side of the bed and took a seat.

Something wasn't connecting in his mind. "IWhat? Concussion? Doctors?" Ignis tried to keep an even voice, but he was growing annoyed with every passing second. Surely Gladio, Prompto, and Noctis were playing a cruel joke on him. They were just camping. Didn't he just cook for them last night? He remembered laughing at the pictures that Prompto took of their day and playing King's Knight until the campfire burned out. Or at least he thought he did. Maybe they didn't? No, something wasn't right. His annoyance was now turning to anxiety, a feeling he wasn't used to. The inside of his mouth turned slightly acidic as bile started to rise from his stomach and he swallowed forcefully to keep from getting sick.

The room was silent and he could tell Prompto and Gladio were looking at each other, waiting for the other one to start talking first. Gladio took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Iggy, we're in Altissia. We came here for Noct to forge a covenant with Leviathan, remember? We . . . ah. . . . well, we evacuated the Altissians and had to get back to Noct to help him. We got held up by Magitek and then . . . shit," his voice cracked as he stood up from his seat and stormed away to the other side of the room. Ignis knew Gladio well enough to know that he had probably put his head in his hands at this point, as he did often when he was stressed or worn down.

"I'm not understanding. Altissia? How long have we been in Altissia?"

Before Gladio or Prompto could explain further, Ignis found himself warped back to the memory of the Altissian harbor, his clothes soaked from Leviathan's wrath. He vaguely recalled fighting the Imperial Magitek, knowing he needed to get to Noctis as soon as possible to help him. Something must have happened to Noct before they were able to get to him. Ignis didn't remember seeing him battle the Hydrean. Or maybe he did? They definitely talked on the phone and Ignis remembered telling him that they were on their way. Certainly, he hadn't left Noct stranded with no help. He was afraid to ask, but he needed to know. "Is Noct alright? Is he hurt?".

"No, no. Noct is ok. He's still unconscious in a room down the hall, but doctors said he'll wake up soon enough and make a full recovery. He took a beating for sure, but he's ok," Prompto reassured, now sitting where Gladio previously sat. He leaned forward and rested his forearms on the bed, causing it to dip slightly at the pressure.

Gladio sighed, his voice sounding tired and heavy from across the room. "Iggy . . . a lot happened during the fight with Leviathan."

Now, irritation was simmering inside of him. He knew they were both dancing around a bigger issue. "Well, out with it," he spat, his usual cool demeanor beginning to crack. He was tired of being babied with whatever news, good or bad, they seemed to be withholding. "What is going on?"

There was some rustling from Prompto as he tried to get comfortable in the chair and Gladio stayed on the other end of the room. Neither one knew how to approach the situation, but they were saved the agony of doing so when the door opened. An unfamiliar voice spoke. "Ah, it's about time, Mr. Scientia. Good to see you finally conscious again. I'm Dr. Moore and I've been monitoring you while you've been here," he introduced himself while flipping through what Ignis assumed were his own medical charts. "I'm just here to see how you're progressing and to check on how your injury is looking. Now, how are we feeling?" the doctor had a calm aura about him as he came to Ignis' bedside, helping him into a sitting position.

He tried to grasp for the right words to explain what he was feeling. "Muddled? Confused? I'm honestly not sure," Ignis listed off.

The doctor chuckled as he placed the cold metal chest piece of a stethoscope under Ignis' shirt and against his chest, causing him to flinch slightly. "Well, that's to be expected when you suffer a concussion. Confusion, nausea, fatigue, headaches, mood swings, some memory loss, all of that is normal. You'll probably feel the residual effects for a bit, so don't worry too much," he acknowledged, clicking a pen and writing down some notes on a clipboard. He placed it down on the nightstand nearby and put both hands to each side of Ignis' head, gently moving him to look in his direction. "Let's go ahead and take these bandages off to check on your injury, shall we? I can't imagine these things are particularly comfortable anyway."

As Ignis opened his mouth to press for more information, he felt the doctor carefully start to remove the wrappings around his head. Sometimes the doctor would stop briefly to make sure he wasn't causing Ignis any more undue pain, but he continued to move efficiently. He was right though; The dressings weren't the most pleasant.

Finally with all the gauze removed, the doctor guided Ignis to look back up at him again, pressing lightly at various points around his eyes, some points more painful than others. "Well, you look to be healing as well as you should be. We'll keep monitoring it though while you're here to make sure it doesn't get infected or anything of that nature. You know, all things considered, you should feel very lucky to be alive. If that blast had been any more powerful, you might not be here to talk about it."

Ignis became aware that he still had his eyes closed, so he slowly cracked them open and waited for his vision to come into focus. He sat for a second, then two, and still nothing came into view. Even without the bandages, he saw absolute nothingness. He felt his stomach go cold and he whipped his head around, ignoring the resulting headache from such an action. He hoped and prayed that he would see Gladio or Prompto or the doctor or the walls. Something. Anything. He was desperate. This was some sort of mistake. There's no way he could be . . .

Then, without warning, the memories of the battle came flooding back and hit Ignis like a punch to the gut. He remembered the Magitek and running to the kiosk to call Prompto and Noctis. They never _did_ make it to help Noct in his fight against Leviathan because they were stopped by Ravus. He remembered standing before the son of Tenebrae, waiting to hear what it was that he had to say. He remembered Gladio questioning Ravus but also getting a sense that Ravus had possibly begun to turn tides against the Niflheim Empire.

And then he felt pure terror. Ardyn was there and he was laughing. He was mocking them. He was reciting a nursery rhyme. 'Three Blind Mice', was it? And then he was throwing a fireball at them. No, not all them. Just at Ignis. Something about 'taking out the leader'? What did Ardyn mean by that? Wasn't Noct their leader?

All of a sudden, Ignis felt his face catch fire. More specifically, his eyes. Ardyn had him by a fistful of hair, snapping Ignis' head back and his face up to him, but Ignis couldn't see him. The events were blurring together. Prompto had his head on his lap, carefully trying to brush the scorched and bloodied hair from his face. Ignis had never been in so much pain. He wanted it to end, but Prompto was begging him to stay awake. Gladio had been rendered unconscious. Ravus was out. Ardyn was gone, but he picked up one of the daggers from the ground that Ignis had dropped before leaving.

"He took my dagger," Ignis blurted out, jolting himself out of his own memories. "Ardyn took my dagger. Where did he go?"

The doctor ignored his outburst and continued to flash a light into Ignis' right eye, a concerning 'hmmm' coming from under his breath. Ignis pulled his head back, stopping short of swatting the light away with his hand. "Where. Is. My. Dagger." he repeated, enunciating each word.

Gladio cleared his throat. He sounded like he was trying to hold back so many emotions. "Yeah . . . your dagger. Ardyn . . . Iggy . . . he took it. I was knocked out, but from what we've gathered . . . . he . . . ah . . . he . . . . we think he got to her. Luna, I mean. He got to Luna."

A cough or some sort of stifled noise came from Prompto. Ignis recoiled. "What do you mean ' _got to her_ '? Where is she?"

Prompto stood up and whispered something to the doctor. The doctor murmured some words and left the room, closing the door softly behind him. After a few seconds, Prompto picked up where Gladio left off. "After he attacked us, and Ravus too, he left to go find Luna and Noctis. We think he used your dagger to hurt her. The Altissian government searched for days, but they haven't been able to recover her body. She's gone."

Ignis couldn't breathe. It felt like someone had their hands around his neck, choking him. This wasn't happening. They'd come all this way. His Highness was going to marry her in just a few short days. They'd prepared for this moment and talked at length about it. This was supposed to be such a happy occasion (even if Noct didn't outwardly show his excitement). And the Starscourge. How could they forget about the Starscourge? Without Luna to hold back the darkness, what was going to happen? What could they do?

Even with all of that, it still didn't explain what happened to the three of them against Ardyn. He turned his head toward where he knew Prompto was standing, judging by where his voice was coming from. "And me?"

This time, Gladio took over. "Like we said, you took a nasty hit to the head. That fire spell wasn't a typical fire spell. Between that to your eyes and the concussion, doctors say at best you'll regain some sight as far as seeing lights and maybe some shapes."

Ignis lowered his head, his hands resting in his lap. "And at worst?"

The silence in the room said it all. Ignis wanted to throw up. Of the four of them, he appreciated the sense of sight the most. Even as a teen when he realized he had the slightest of vision problems, he was quick to get glasses to rectify it. Sight was incredibly important to him. How could it not be, what with him being the designated Driver. The Chef. The Strategist. The One With The Plan. The Prince's Right Hand Man.

Ardyn's words rang in his head, like a broken record over and over. _Let's see how well your friends will fare without you guiding them anymore_. As he heard this, Ignis gingerly brought his fingers up to his left eye; or what _used_ to be his left eye. Where there was once smooth skin now was a rough and raw ghastly burn. He traced the edges of the burn and then moved to the other cuts that marred his face. A large gash slashed the bridge of his nose and he felt another cut run through his right eyebrow. The enormity of the situation dawned on him and he slowly brought his blank stare up to Gladio and Prompto.

"Iggy, the doctors tried everything to save your sight. They really did," Gladio's voice sounded hoarse again.

Ignis dropped his hand back to the bed and balled his fist, grasping at a handful of sheets. A million thoughts went through his head. How would he protect Noct if he couldn't even see? How could he guide Noct into his role as King when his own vision was taken from him? What about everyone else? Would everyone leave him behind since he was now a huge liability? This was war and this wasn't the time to be politically correct. It was cutthroat and it was cruel. A man with no sight was as good as dead in battle.

Still, the thought of being outcasted by the men he had grown to call his 'brothers' was unbearable. He continued to keep his head down, a solemn look on his face. He took a deep breath before speaking. "Well, the loss of my vision is nothing in the grand scheme of things. As long as Noct is alive and well, that's all that matters. We are here to support him, not to fret over me and my issues."

Prompto's footsteps started toward the bed as if Prompto was looking to comfort Ignis somehow. "Dude, what can we-."

Ignis held a hand up. "If you don't mind, I would like some time alone, please," he said curtly, cutting off Prompto from whatever he was about to say. Ignis could feel Gladio and Prompto eyeing each other again, debating whether or not to fight him on it, before finally settling on respecting his wishes. Without another word, they both exited the room, the door closing behind them. When he knew he was alone, Ignis carefully laid back down, face up toward the ceiling.

 _Let's just consider this a small sacrifice in the greater battle, shall we?_

And then, uncharacteristically for him, Ignis brought his hands up to cover his face and let out a loud scream, frustrated and afraid and alone.

* * *

Several days later, Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto were sitting at a table outside of the Levelle where they were staying. Finally regaining some strength, Ignis agreed to venture outside of his room with the help of his friends. They tried to convince him it would be good to get some fresh air and to leave the confines of the room. This amused Ignis more than anything as he knew he'd be none the wiser to where he was, no matter where they took him.

Now that he was blinded, Ignis needed help getting everywhere. But with Gladio constantly holding his arm and Prompto guiding him with a hand on his back, it was beyond mortifying. Having to now rely on the help of Prompto and Gladio to merely get from point A to point B deflated any shred of dignity that he had left.

The waves rhythmically lapped against the seawall, a vast change from the roaring seas that Leviathan stirred up just recently. It sounded peaceful, but Gladio and Prompto warned Ignis that Altissia, as a whole, was in ruins. The evacuated citizens had yet to return so the city was basically a ghost town at this point.

Prompto drummed his fingers on the table and let out a nervous chuckle. "So the weather is really nice today," he started awkwardly, trying to break the tension. "Is anyone hungry or anything? I can go get us some snacks. What about you, Iggy? Do you want some coffee? I know you haven't had any Ebony coffee in a while. I can get it-."

"For the love of the Astrals, Prompto, shut up," Gladio interrupted gruffly, his arms crossed over his chest.

Prompto shrank back into his chair. "Oh, yeah. Sorry, I just don't know what to say," he responded sheepishly, settling back into uncomfortable silence.

After a few minutes, Gladio stood up, scraping his chair back against the cobblestone and stretching his arms up high. "I'm just going to check on Noct to see if he's up yet. I'll be right back," he said, walking back inside to the Levelle, leaving Prompto and Ignis sitting alone at the table.

Ignis continued to sit rigidly in his chair, staring straight ahead. He adjusted his new tinted glasses higher on his face so they would stop irritating the cut on the bridge of the nose. Yesterday, Gladio and Prompto had brought him the new glasses as well as a cane designed specifically for him, etched with intricate designs. On the surface, Ignis expressed quiet gratitude and appreciation to the pair; Inside, however, he saw these items as another nail in the coffin toward his life ever going back to normal. Now the cane sat propped beside him against the arm of the chair and he was grateful for the fact that the glasses somewhat hid his face and the gruesome injuries that mutilated it.

For as long as he could remember, Ignis had always been so sure of himself. He carried himself with poise and confidence, always balancing a million tasks with ease. There was never a moment that he let himself look out of sorts, harrowed, or under pressure. In fact, the other three would oftentimes poke fun at the fact that he never seemed to have a stressful day in his life because he kept his life meticulously organized and his emotions in check so well. But that was before all of this. Now he felt defeated and worthless, something he'd never admit to anyone. It wasn't that he was too proud to admit his weaknesses; On the contrary, he was the first to admit his faults. At the end of the day, he still had an image to maintain. He still needed to be that strong pillar of strength for the group and he would be damned if he let one complaint about his condition pass his lips.

When he was alone though, that was another story. Night after night, he laid in bed and let the time slip by as sleep evaded him. The endless thoughts of what would happen now kept him awake for hours on end. Sometimes he'd work himself into such a mess that he'd find himself thrown over the side of the bed, dry heaving into a small trash can by the nightstand. If he ever did manage to drift off, he'd wake up moments later with a sheen of cold sweat covering his body and his heart racing from nightmares of Ardyn. If the nightmares caused him to wake up screaming, Prompto or Gladio would come running in to calm him, only for them to be told that everything was fine and sorry for the disturbance. The nights were a constant back and forth between feeling numb and clawing at the sheets in absolute panic.

And yet, no matter how many times he blinked, rubbed his right eye, or woke up from the endless nightmares, he still saw darkness.

"You ok?" Prompto asked, bringing him back to reality. Ignis shifted in his seat, wringing his bare hands under the table. What could he say to him? Of course he wasn't ok. What kind of question was that?

However, instead of retorting with a scathing response, Ignis kept quiet. He heard Prompto sigh and run a hand through his hair. Ignis felt guilty for completely shutting himself off from his friends. He understood that Prompto and Gladio were really trying to stay positive for him. Between taking care of him and waiting for Noct to finally wake up, they had to have been just as drained as he felt. He knew he was coming off as irritable and moody, but he couldn't help it.

Prompto tried again to initiate a conversation. "Well, I'm just glad you're awake and alive, at least," he paused, trying to choose his words carefully. "I can't tell you how scared I was after Ardyn left. And then after you passed out . . . man, I didn't know what to do . . ."

Once again, Ignis found the memories of that day rushing back to him as Prompto carried on in his one-sided conversation. He remembered his drenched clothes clinging to every inch of his body from the cold rain. He vividly recalled Ardyn throwing him to the cobblestone road like a rag doll and he cried out in agony as he hit the ground shoulder first. The blood from his lacerations ran down the right side of his face and he was starting to lose feeling on the left side from the burn. He tried hard to push himself up off the ground to jump back into battle, but it was too much for him. And then there was Prompto coming back to his side and begging him to stay awake, with Gladio and Ravus still unconscious a short distance away. Remembering the entire day made his stomach turn.

Prompto was oblivious to how pale Ignis had gone as he continued talking. ". . . and I am so sorry I wasn't enough to save you," he choked out. Ignis' ears perked up and he realized that Prompto had started to get slightly emotional. He listened intently.

"I know Noct asked me to come along because we're best buds and all and he has all this faith in me, but I'm . . . I'm just not trained enough for these things, you know? You and Gladio, hell, even Noct, have always saved my ass in every battle we've been in. I couldn't even get my thoughts together fast enough to pull the damn trigger on Ardyn when I had the chance. I feel like I let you and Noct and Gladio down. I just hope that you can one day forgive me for not doing more, for not being the one to end Ardyn after . . . after what he did to you."

Ignis slowly turned his empty gaze to Prompto and gave a soft smile. "I don't believe we could have predicted any of this. Considering the enemy we were up against, you did everything right. Even in the face of adversity, you were courageous and strong. I can't think of anyone better for Noct to have chosen to come and fight alongside with us," he reached out and placed a hand on Prompto's shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. "And I can't thank you enough for all you have done for me through the past week."

Prompto let out a half-laugh and briskly wiped away a tear with the back of his fist before it threatened to fall. "You really mean that?"

Ignis nodded. "I really do."

Prompto laughed again and placed his hand on Ignis' forearm. "Well . . . thanks. I needed to hear that."

Gladio's booming voice came from behind, startling the two. "Did I interrupt a moment or something?" he joked, coming back to the table and sitting in the vacant chair.

Prompto snorted and waved his hand, almost as if he were trying to abolish any notion of a 'moment' between them. "Nah, dude. Just talkin' to Iggy here about stupid stuff," he recovered, hurriedly wiping his eyes again to save himself the torment of Gladio picking on him for tearing up.

Ignis' smile faded and his trademark stoic expression returned. "How's Noct?" he asked, directing his attention to Gladio now.

Gladio shrugged. "Still the same, more or less. Doctors don't seem to be too worried or anything, so that's good," he relayed, tipping his chair back onto two legs and interlocking his hands behind his head. "You know, part of me thinks he's just using this opportunity to take a long nap. I just wish he'd wake up soon so we could head out."

"Patience, Gladio. He's been through a lot lately. We can't rush his journey. He'll wake up and we'll leave when _he's_ ready."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. But we can't wait around forever," Gladio grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"No, we won't. Noct isn't one to shy away when he's called to action, and you know that. He's proven that to you time and time again since we left Insomnia," Ignis lectured, leaning forward slightly, resting his arms on the table with his hands folded together. "It's about time you put your faith in him, don't you think?"

Gladio scoffed. "Sounds like 'blind faith' to me."

Ignis smirked. The irony of the phrase was not lost on him.

* * *

 _Author's Note: When I first began writing this, it was just intended to be a one-shot to cover what, in my mind, happened in Chapter 9 of FFXV that we did not see. As I continued writing it, I realized the one-shot had a lot more to say and way more to cover, so I broke it into a part two. Now, as I finish part two, I know there is still more to say. So, look out for part three here soon! :)_

 _Also, thank you so much for the reviews, the favorites, and the follows. They mean a lot to me! The more, the better, right? ;) Thanks!_


	3. Part III

**Blind Faith  
Part III**

Ignis figured he'd been standing in the shower for about fifteen, maybe twenty minutes, by now, letting the water hit his back in a steady stream. The shower knob was turned all the way to the left and the water just about scalding. He bet his skin was tinged red from the heat of the water but he felt absolutely no pain. There was a flitter of hope that maybe the sting of the high temperature would allow him to feel something (either physically, mentally, or emotionally), but the numbness persisted. Every day he waited to feel some sort of emotion regarding his condition and the situation at hand, but it seemed he was so desensitized to everything lately.

After a few more minutes, he finished washing the shampoo out of his hair and turned the water off. Pushing the shower curtain back allowed a blast of cold air to hit his body, causing him to involuntarily shiver. He felt around along the wall for the towel that Gladio hung up for him before his shower and secured it around his waist. As he started to step out of the shower, he misjudged the height of the tub and tumbled forward, his hand barely catching the edge of the pedestal sink, saving himself from falling completely to the ground.

The heat of embarrassment came over him as he sheepishly pulled himself back up, slightly angry that he was no longer able to move as freely and gracefully as he was once used to. Once up, he gripped the edges of the sink and hung his head. Day in and day out, he felt like he was stuck in a living nightmare, trapped in his own body with no way out. Although he was constantly reassuring Gladio and Prompto that his sight would return in a matter of time, deep down he knew that those reassurances were more for his own sake. Even the doctors weren't hopeful anymore. His left eye had been completely destroyed by the blast and the scar tissue buildup in his right was beyond repairable, they told him. The morale between the three was at an all time low and Ignis knew they were all secretly hoping that Noctis waking up would be the key to getting their spirits up.

He lifted his head slightly, blindly looking ahead at where the mirror was. More and more lately he found himself wondering just how bad his face had been disfigured. It wasn't that he cared what he looked like or that he was being vain about it, but he was curious to know if his injuries looked as horrific as they felt. Tracing the burn on his face lightly with his fingers, he gritted his teeth and repressed an urge to slam his fist down onto the sink. He was a huge proponent of the 'the world isn't always fair' view in life, but it was hard not to fall into the mindset of how unfair it was being dealt a losing hand like this.

He shook his head and pushed himself away from the sink, cautiously shuffling back into the bedroom and stopping when his shin bumped the edge of his bed. He aimlessly moved his hand around to the outfit that Prompto carefully and deliberately laid out for him.

" _Alright, I put your suit right here on the bed," Prompto guided Ignis' hand over the clothes on the bed. "Here is your shirt, and these are your pants, and here is your-."_

 _"Thank you, Prompto," Ignis said dryly, pulling his hand away from Prompto's as he pushed his tinted glasses up higher on his nose. "However, I haven't forgotten what clothes are. I'm blind, not dense, remember?"_

 _Prompto stammered out an embarrassed apology while Gladio snorted from the other side of the room. "He got you there, man."_

 _"C'mon, I didn't mean it like that! You know that, right Iggy? I'm just trying to help."_

But he didn't want help. He wanted to go back to being the same, independent person he was before. Ignis exhaled loudly, removing the towel from his waist, folding it neatly, and placing it on a chair nearby. Slowly, he started to get dressed in his printed shirt and trademark suit. For the last few days, he had been wearing his casual clothes as they were easier to get in and out of and they were a lot comfier, but today he wanted the familiarity that the formal outfit always seemed to provide him. If nothing else, it would at least make him feel like things were normal and everything would eventually be ok.

Once dressed, he clasped his watch on his left wrist, placed his glasses on his face - careful to avoid the still-sore gash on his nose -, and stood awkwardly in the middle of the room.

 _Now what do I do?_

On any other given day, he'd be off researching what would happen now that Luna was gone, who was this Ardyn Izunia character they'd come to know, where they needed to go next . . . there was so much to look into and yet he couldn't even crack open a book to begin. It's not like he could read anything or take notes for later. Not by himself, at least.

Resigning to the fact that he was basically useless without anyone's help, he ran a hand along the wall for support and guidance and sauntered down the hall to where Noctis was still asleep.

* * *

Several rooms away, Gladio sat in a plush red chair facing the window that overlooked the ruins of the city. His head rested on a balled fist and his eyelids were heavy as he struggled to stay awake. The sound of footsteps approached him and sent a sideways glance to the source of the steps, surprised to see Ignis standing before him, a hand on the doorway. "Nice suit, Specs."

"How is he?" Ignis whispered, ignoring his friend's comment.

Gladio stifled a yawn and stood up to stretch. He walked to Ignis, placing his hand on his upper back and guiding him to sit in the chair he had just occupied before he took the seat directly across from him. "I think he'll be up soon. Umbra just came by and brought the notebook for him. I put it over there on the bed by the pillow, but he didn't even move. Apparently, _His Highness_ needs his beauty rest," he remarked sarcastically, glaring past Ignis and gesturing to the bed where Noctis was. He rolled his eyes and returned his gaze back to his injured friend, his face softening with sympathy. "How are you?"

Ignis stared ahead, his spectacled eyes looking just past Gladio. "Nothing I can't handle. I'll be ok."

"Well, I didn't ask if you'll _be_ ok or not. I asked how you were."

Ignis remained silent, his expression blank. Through their tenures as royal advisor and the future king's shield, Ignis and Gladio had formed a respectful bond. They became fast friends from the day they met, knowing they'd be working closely with each other as part of Noctis' staff. Because of this, they never felt they had to hide their thoughts and emotions from each other. It didn't make sense to. Both had seen each other at their worst and at their best over the years, so it frustrated Gladio that Ignis had basically isolated himself ever since he woke up from the battle at the harbor.

Gladio brought a hand up to his temple, a small headache coming on. "Whatever. I'd hoped you'd be a little more open in talking to me about all of this, especially since you were there for me when we found out my father died in the fall of Insomnia. If you don't want to talk about it then I won't ask you to, but you can't-."

"There's nothing to talk about, Gladio," Ignis sharply interjected. "My handicap is not going to deter me from looking after Noct or from continuing on our journey. It's just a minor setback. There's nothing more to discuss."

"Tsch. Whatever. If that's the case, I'll just keep pretending to ignore your screaming at three a.m. from those nightmares you're having every night." He saw Ignis' eye flicker when he said this and knew he hit a weak spot. "I'm not deaf, Iggy. Every night I hear you screaming and I know I can't do a damn thing about it. And then I have to see you the next morning pretend like everything's ok. You think I don't notice how this is affecting you? A minor setback, my ass," Gladio barked, slamming a fist down on the armrest. Almost immediately after the words left his mouth, he felt guilty for snapping at him. He sat forward, his hand rubbing the back of his neck and his voice much quieter. "I mean, come on. Knowing you were targeted like that and I couldn't stop it? This is hard for me too, you know. "

Ignis looked unaffected by his words, his hands folded neatly in his lap. The air between the two was heavy, both waiting for the other to break the tension first. Finally, Ignis removed his glasses and faced his friend, the cuts and burns now unhidden from behind the eyewear. Gladio turned away and closed his eyes. "I have a duty to protect Noct, as do you. Yes, I admit, sleep has been rather difficult to come by, but I can't dwell on that. I have to stay focused for you guys so we can go forth and finish what we started."

Gladio frowned, still avoiding Ignis' vacant stare. "Do you really think that's a good idea? You coming with us? Is this something you've honestly given a lot of thought to?"

For the first time since their conversation began, Ignis' expression faltered, almost appearing offended. "Well, I assumed I'd still be joining you," he responded so faintly that Gladio had to strain to hear him. His voice sounded hurt. "Are you saying you want me to remain behind?"

Gladio got to his feet, the weight of the conversation suddenly bearing down on him. "It's not that. Of course, I want you to stick with us. You're the only reason we've been able to get this far. I don't know . . . I think we should see what Noct has to say before we make any final decisions. I just . . . you know what? Nevermind. Let's just see what he says," he muttered, his hand resting heavily on Ignis' shoulder. "I'm going to go shower up real quick, but I'll be right back, ok? Yell if you need me or Prompto. You know we're right down the hall."

Gladio let his hand linger a bit longer on Ignis' shoulder before patting it and walking away, his loud footfall getting quieter as he disappeared down the hall. Ignis replaced his glasses on his face and hunched over, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands clasped together. He realized early on that there was a chance he'd be forced to stay behind as the other three moved on, but hearing Gladio voice that option hurt more than he thought. It was like a knife to the heart.

After all, Ignis was tasked at an early age to watch over Noct. It was the only life he'd ever really known. As a child, he barely grasped the magnitude of what he was being asked to do, but nonetheless, he took on the role of caretaker with great pride. His thoughts drifted to the years that he had spent by Noctis' side as his chamberlain and royal advisor. When Noctis spoke of a pastry he tried in Tenebrae, Ignis worked tirelessly to come up with the same exact recipe to hopefully get him to smile after a particularly rough day. When he let his royal duties fall to the wayside, Ignis was there to pick up the slack and keep the wayward prince in line. Or, at least, he tried.

The memory of one night, in particular, came to his mind. He had come to check on Noct after dark and found him in the midst of sneaking out. They locked eyes with each other and Ignis let out a groan of disapproval. Noctis shrugged, unapologetic and unphased. "You're more than welcome to stay here, but I'm headed out to the bar downtown."

Ignis narrowed his eyes, his arms crossed across his chest and a frown etched on his face. He stood a good few inches taller than the prince and had tried on more than one occasion to use his height to intimidate him into relenting on certain issues (like eating his vegetables, for once). No matter what, it never seemed to work. Noctis was stubborn to a fault and would maintain his stance on every difference between the two until the day he died. Most of the time, Ignis assumed he defied his advice and orders more out of spite than anything.

Finally, after a dramatic and endless staredown, Ignis relented and stepped aside, an exasperated sigh coming from his mouth. "Well, to say I'm disappointed is an understatement. However, my job is to ensure you remain safe and healthy at all times and that you don't get into too much trouble. As such, I will have to accompany you to this _bar_ ," he said the word as if it were a curse word, "that you are headed to, but we must be back at a decent hour. We still have that meeting in the morning. Also, I won't allow you to wander off without me, understood?"

Noctis looked skeptical but shrugged again and brushed past him. "Cool. Let's go. Happy hour is almost over."

When they arrived at the bar, Noct immediately started pushing drinks on him, even though he knew at the time that he should have turned them down to keep a clear head about him. At first, he was annoyed at having to be there at all, but once he drank a little more, he loosened up and started to enjoy himself. Time flew by and they stayed out much later than anticipated, playing darts and pool, drinking cheap beer, and really learning more about each other outside of the prince/advisor relationship they had. For once, they were actually having fun.

They finally stumbled home close to sunrise and managed to sneak back into the castle through a side entrance with enough time to get cleaned up and ready for the royal meeting, still slightly intoxicated. He remembered Noctis silently pleading with his eyes from across the large meeting table to not rat him out to his father or the other royal officials. If anyone found out, there would be serious consequences for their actions, but Ignis had already planned to take their outing to his grave.

He laughed quietly at the memory. That night was probably the most impulsive and liberating thing he had done in his life up to that point and he often wondered if Noctis ever knew how much fun he had that night.

A grunt from the bed alerted Ignis and he turned his ear to the rustling behind him. He heard Noctis sit up and groan, his body probably still stiff and aching from the battle against Leviathan. He was finally awake.

"Back with us?" Ignis whispered over his shoulder. He knew Noct was probably in a state of confusion, much like he was when he first woke up the week prior. Ignis felt for the armrest, patting it a couple of times nervously before standing up and turning to the prince. "I'll go tell the others . . . though it may take a bit."

Noctis gasped at the sight of his friend, noticing his old lenses now replaced with darkened ones. He caught on quickly to what it was that Ignis was implying. "You're hurt . . . "

"Ah, a small sacrifice in the greater battle," Ignis quipped, the words echoing those that Ardyn taunted him with during their own battle.

He stood, waiting for Noctis to react or say something more. Then, Noctis asked, "And Luna?"

Ignis turned his back to him, bracing for the impact that his words would have on his friend. "She has passed," he reported unemotionally. He heard Noctis' breath hitch, now finding he was in possession of the Ring of Lucii. It was the ring that Luna left for him from his own father, an heirloom from the Astrals to the kings of Lucis and a direct link to the Crystal.

Ignis pointed in the general direction of the notebook that Luna and Noct would send back and forth to each other. "Umbra left that for you."

As he slowly made his way to the door, careful not to bump into any furniture along the way, he heard the frantic flipping of pages and the sound of Noctis repressing a sob. He gently closed the door behind him and heard Gladio clear his throat. Ignis kept his gaze to the side.

"He's awake?"

He nodded, the sounds of Noctis' cries echoing through the door.

* * *

The sky was pitch black. It was storming. The roads were slick and the rain on his glasses made it near impossible to see. Leviathan's loud screech reverberated through the city.

 _Please get me out of here._

He was sprinting through a maze of alleyways and side streets, a stitch starting to form in his side. Ardyn's laughter could be heard from every which way. Ignis was having difficulty trying to discern which way he needed to go to get away from the madman.

"Gladio! Prompto! Where did you go!?" he yelled over the rain, running into yet another dead end.

 _I need to get to Noct._

The laughter sounded like it was coming closer. "Tick tock, tick tock. Time is running out and you're still nowhere near your precious prince," Ardyn mocked. As Ignis skidded around a corner down another street, his shoe caught the lip of an errant stone in the cobblestone road and he crashed to the ground, smacking his chin on the stones. His glasses flew off of his face and landed a short distance away.

 _Don't worry about it. Leave them. Just get out of here. He's coming._

He hissed in pain and rubbed his jaw as he scrambled to his feet, but a hand seized his collar from behind and yanked him back, knocking the wind out of him. He tried to escape using every tactic and technique that he'd ever learned, but the grip on his collar was too strong. When he tried to call for help, his voice caught in his throat.

"Why are you in such a rush? The fun has just begun!" Ardyn's hot breath was now on Ignis' neck, sending a chill down his spine. He looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened as he noticed Ardyn's other hand nonchalantly held a fireball. "I have a nursery rhyme that I've been _dying_ to tell you. You know how much I love nursery rhymes, don't you?"

The fireball came hurtling toward him. He brought his hands up to shield himself, but he still felt the fire engulf his face.

"NO!"

Ignis sat up, screaming and holding his covers within clenched fists. His knuckles were white and ached from how tight his grip was. Sweat ran down his forehead and the back of his neck as he gasped desperately for air. His heart continued to pound in his chest. _Another nightmare. That's all it was. Just another bad dream. You're ok._

He started to settle down as he registered that he was safe in his room even though he couldn't see anything. He let his fingers relax slightly.

 _Everything's ok. Everything's-._ The faint sound of a muffled cry came from the other room just down the hall.

 _Noct?_

Ignis threw the covers back and quickly got dressed in a t-shirt and pair of jeans that he folded before bed. He grabbed the cane by his bedside and half-walked-half-jogged to the other bedroom. He stopped at the door and internally debated even making his presence known, listening to the whimpering coming from the room and feeling helpless. Still, he took a deep breath and knocked anyway. "Your Highness?"

The crying instantly stopped and Ignis waited for some sort of greeting or notion that he could enter. When neither happened, he opened the door and crept inside, tiptoeing closer to the bed. He felt Noctis' stare on him.

"Can I help you?" he mumbled coldly.

Ignis stopped and stood at the foot of the bed. "I heard a commotion and I just wanted to check to see that you're alright."

There was the click of Noctis turning on the lamp at his bedside and Ignis sensed the faintest of light. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you. I'm fine, though. Really. I've just got a lot on my mind, I guess."

Ignis nodded and placed his cane to the side. "I haven't been sleeping well, either," he pointed to the edge of the bed. "Mind if I have a seat?"

The mattress springs creaked as Noct shifted over slightly so Ignis would have more room to sit. He took a spot on the edge toward the middle, his back to the prince. Noctis sniffled and his breath was shaky as he tried to hold back more tears. Neither man knew what to say next, so they let the silence settle between them. A half hour passed with only the sound of sniffling and distant ocean waves punctuating the quiet night.

Eventually, Noctis cleared his throat and asked, "Is it permanent? Your vision, I mean. Are you going to be able to see again?"

Ignis shrugged. "At this point, all I can do is stay optimistic that my sight will return with time."

"Oh," was all he could think to say.

Ignis smirked. "You always were a man of many words," he joked, but it still made Noct snort.

After quietly laughing, the sniffling returned and Noctis put his head in his hands, speaking through his fingers. "I miss her. Luna. I really loved her, Ignis. You knew that, right? Granted, I wasn't ready to get married or anything, but damn I loved her so much. I couldn't sleep the night before because I was so excited to see her and talk to her in person, not just through some stupid notebook." Ignis detected Noctis' breathing starting to waver again. He knew Noct was trying to get something off his chest, but the words were evading him.

There was the sound of a sharp inhale. "You know, I saw it happen," he began. Ignis turned his head slightly so that his right ear was toward where Noctis was sitting. He continued, "He stabbed her. Ardyn stabbed her with some sort of dagger or knife or something and I just laid there. I-I couldn't move. Like, my mind was screaming at me to get up; lift a finger, do something! And then the bastard looked over at me and smiled. Can you believe that? _He fucking smiled_ , and I couldn't do a damn thing about it but watch her dress go from white to red. No, I can't . . ." his voice faded and Ignis knew he was crying silent tears again. "I can't do this, Ignis. I-I'm not strong enough."

Ignis pinched the bridge of his nose, exhausted. "Unfortunately, we have no choice, Noct. She died protecting you and we can't let her sacrifice be all for naught. Sitting here won't do us any good. The only option we have right now is to pick ourselves up and push forward as soon as possible," he paused and then added, "You should feel honored that you were able to obtain the Hydrean's blessing. Your father and Luna would be proud."

Noct snorted forcefully. "How can you say?" he asked incredulously. "Wow, congrats to me - I got the blessing of Leviathan. That's pretty much all we did right. We epically failed at this mission. Luna's gone. You're blind. Altissia's destroyed after I specifically promised everything would be fine. How the hell can I take my father's place as ruler of a kingdom if I can't even properly save a city? I didn't even ask for any of this!" he grabbed the Ring of Lucii haphazardly tossed on his nightstand and threw it angrily across the room. It hit the wall with a loud 'thud' and clanked on the hardwood floor.

Ignis pursed his lips, letting Noctis' words sink in. It was true, the mission had been a complete and total disaster in more ways than one, but hearing Noctis say it out loud made it all the more real. They failed miserably.

He slowly rose from the bed, grabbing his cane wordlessly. He got to the door and opened it slightly, reflecting on their conversation. As much as he knew that Noct wanted to give up, Ignis knew he needed to be the voice of reason, again. "You need to take your place as rightful heir to the throne of Insomnia. You may not think you're ready, but I have all the faith in the world that you'll be ready in time. Your father sees it and Luna does, too. However, I refuse to sit back and allow you to let all your hard work go to waste. So tomorrow, we'll need to research the next Royal Arm and its location. I'm hoping that the nearby library is still intact enough for us to use it." He turned his head back to look over his shoulder, the light of the lamp guiding him to where Noct was. "I'd greatly appreciate it if you could accompany me."

Noctis made a noise that sounded like a 'yes', but Ignis wasn't too sure. He didn't want to press his luck, though, and question it. As he started to walk away, he heard Noctis call for him. He stopped but didn't turn around. "When we eventually leave Altissia, I'd like to make a stop in Tenebrae. Please."

Ignis mulled the request over in his mind. "If we have time, we will stop in Tenebrae. But let's cross that bridge when we come to it. Now please get some rest, your Highness. It's been a tiresome day."

"Fine. I'll try."

He heard Noct sigh as he clicked the lamp off, taking away the small glimmer of light that Ignis was able to sense along with it.

* * *

Author's Note: Thank you all so much for the favorites, reviews, and follows. Look out for Part IV coming soon!


	4. Part IV

**Blind Faith**

 **Part IV**

"What we're looking for are clues; passages that can tell us where we can find the next Royal Tomb and the resulting Royal Arm. Any little bit will help right now," Ignis instructed while Gladio dropped a pile of books down on the table in front of them. "Until Cid can get back to Altissia with the boat, we'll have to make good use of our time and this will hopefully hold us over until he gets here."

The radio was turned on and placed on the table next to them, but the volume was turned down low. Right now, all that came through was the steady hiss of static. If any news ended up coming in, they wanted to be sure to know. For a while now, radio and cell signals had been jammed so no communication was coming in or out of the city. It was hard to be at Ground Zero, yet not know anything that was going on around them.

At the moment, they were still waiting on Cid to come rescue them. He'd gone back home after dropping them off, thinking this would be a pretty cut-and-dry mission for the group and he'd have no issue getting back to Altissia to get them. That moment when they first arrived at the docks seemed like a lifetime ago. They would never have guessed on that boat ride across the seas that they'd end up alone in the ruins of Altissia and not happily celebrating another victory in scoring the covenants of the Astrals.

Prompto grabbed one of the smaller books from the pile, thumbing through some of the pages. "So, what you're saying is we need to go through all of these to find where the next Royal Tomb is?"

"Not just those," Gladio huffed, dropping another stack of books on the previous ones. "These, too."

Ignis nodded and handed a book up to Gladio, who grabbed it without a word, to start researching. "It may appear tedious, but I assure you that finding this small piece of information is crucial in our journey."

"Oh, I wasn't complaining! I just wanted to get on the same page as you guys as far as what we needed to do, that's all," he looked around, perplexed. "By the way, where's Noct? Didn't he say he'd be down here by now? I don't think he went back to sleep, but I don't know. Poor guy hasn't so much as taken a nap since he came to."

"His _Majesty_ said he wanted to be alone for a bit longer, even after telling Iggy here that he'd help with looking into these Royal Tombs," he jerked a thumb at Ignis and scowled. "It's been a few days and still he's acting like he's the only one who lost something."

"He never came outright and said he'd help; I merely inferred that his grunt was a sign of his willingness to assist us. I don't begrudge him for needing time to grieve."

Prompto shrank in his chair, bringing his opened book eye-level to cover himself from what would be Gladio's inevitable rage. "I mean, his fiance _was_ killed in front of him by the chancellor."

Gladio side-eyed Prompto, mumbled something under his breath, and then turned his attention to his book, effectively ending the conversation. Prompto went to make a face at Ignis but stopped short when he remembered his friend could no longer see the facial expressions he made whenever there was an awkward situation. He sighed sadly and flipped through his book, trying to appear like he understood what he was reading.

Ignis sat uncomfortably, wringing his hands under the table. He wasn't sure what he should be doing and the lost expression on his face made that evident. It wasn't like he could read any of the titles and taking notes for the group was out of the question. Honestly, he was only here to guide them in what they should be researching, but even that was hard to do when he was uncertain of what to look for.

Not really sure if either of the other two men were watching him but assuming they were too buried in their studies to care, he slowly brought a hand up and slipped the closest book from the tabletop to his lap. It felt heavy, but incredibly sturdy, in his hands. He looked down at it and imagined, once again, that he could see.

In his mind, the book he was holding was red with gold scrolls along the cover's edges. It smelled like it had been shoved to the back of the shelf for years, maybe decades, forgotten. When he opened it, the spine cracked loudly and he imagined the font inside was extremely small to accommodate all the information the book was trying to convey. There may have been a picture or diagram here or there, but when used, they were extremely detail-oriented.

It hurt him deep in his chest to know that he'd be forever relegated to merely imagining stuff like reading a book or taking notes on a new culinary dish instead of actually _doing_ those things. Frustration simmered inside of him again, a once-unfamiliar emotion he was coming to know all too well. His grip on the book tightened and he wished desperately that, even for a split second, he could see the text in his hand. Surely, his sight had to eventually return, right?

"Iggy? Are you alright?" asked Prompto.

Ignis snapped his head up and hastily replaced the book back in the pile as if he shouldn't have even had it in the first place. "Apologies, just got carried away in my own thoughts," he recovered quickly. "Did you find something interesting?"

"I've barely been able to get through half a page," Prompto laughed. "If you mean 'did I find something that would help us', then no. If you literally meant 'interesting', well, I doubt I'll find anything interesting in these books. This stuff just doesn't do it for me, unless it has to do with photography or something fun like that. "

"Well, keep reading. We're down two men and I'm not about to pull the entire weight of the group just because you don't find this stuff 'interesting'. I did enough of that with group projects in high school," Gladio flicked the book that Prompto was holding and Prompto smiled back, nodding ever so slightly.

There was the sound of shuffling feet behind the group. "What about high school?" a groggy voice asked. The three turned to see Noctis standing there, looking incredibly worn out and drained. In the time he'd woken from his state of unconsciousness, he looked like he'd lost quite a few pounds. His eyes were lifeless and hollow. His hair, normally styled just right, sat limply on his head and looked like it needed a good washing.

Prompto's smile grew larger, ignoring his friend's haggard appearance. "Hey, Noct! Come sit by me! There's a chair here with your name on it!" the blonde patted the seat of the chair next to him and beckoned Noctis with the book he was holding in his other hand. Noctis silently walked to the empty chair at the table and flopped into it, crossing his arms and keeping his chin tucked into his chest.

Gladio rolled his eyes. "Nice of you to finally grace us with your presence, _Your Highness._ Here to help us out or are you just going to sit there and sulk?"

"Quit it with the sarcasm and get off my back, _Dad,_ " he countered. "Besides, it looks like you've got it under control all by yourself."

"No thanks to you and your sorry ass," his eyes fell accusingly on Noctis' hands. "Where's your ring? Figured since Luna gave it to you, you'd have the decency to actually wear it now."

Noctis brought his left hand to his right, covering his fingers from Gladio's stare. "Mind your business and don't worry about where my ring is. I'll wear it when I wear it," his voice was low and raspy.

"Oh, I see. Should have expected so much from you. Still too much of a coward to fulfill your duty as-."

"That's enough, both of you," Ignis interjected, shooting both a sharp look. Even behind his visors, his eyes told everyone that he was fed up. "Let's stop this arguing before it gets out of hand and let's get back to finding information on that Royal Tomb."

There was an uneasy silence in the air as Prompto cautiously held out a book to Noctis. He snatched it from him and glared at Gladio across the table, exaggeratingly waving the book in the air with his eyes widened and his lips pursed. "Happy now?"

"I would have been a lot happier if you were down here earlier to help us instead of locking yourself in your room to-."

"Alright already!" This time, Prompto jumped in. "We're all obviously a little stressed right now, so why don't you give Noct a break this time? It's not like he's done anything wrong."

Gladio started to say something else but he bit his tongue when he saw Ignis' stern frown still aimed at him. Noct narrowed his eyes and slammed the opened book on the table, forcing himself to buckle down and start researching clues. Gladio followed suit and buried his nose in his book, his hair falling in front of his face. Finally, some peace. Besides the occasional note scribbling from Prompto and Noct, or the turning of the pages of their books, the morning and mid-afternoon passed with little noise.

They were all so concentrated on their work that they almost missed when the radio stopped blaring static and a voice sounded through the speakers. Ignis' ears perked up first and he held a hand out to alert his friends. "The radio."

Gladio reached behind and turned the volume knob up just enough so they could hear the transmission. "It has been about two weeks since the events in Altissia and little progress has been made in the way of cleanup and rebuild. Evacuees are still waiting on word to return, but officials have said that it will be another month before anyone can start to make their way safely back into the city."

"A month? Have they _seen_ this city? There's no way it'll only take a month to get it back in order," Prompto dismissed, a hand extended out to the ruins of Altissia in disbelief. Ignis shushed him, a finger pressed to his own lips, before turning his ear back to the broadcast.

"Word is also coming in that Ravus Nox Fleuret, the former High Commander of Nifleheim, has been sentenced to death for his acts of treason in the Altissian battle. Reports have remained vague regarding these acts, but we will continue to monitor the situation and will bring any new updates to you as we receive them."

Prompto's jaw dropped, commenting again on the broadcast: "Death? Ravus?"

Noctis stopped writing and looked blankly at Prompto. "What, you're shocked? Hard to feel bad for a guy who was gunning for his sister's capture. Probably had it coming."

"Ravus had a chance to kill us and didn't, Noct. Ardyn threatened him with Luna's safety in exchange for killing us, and he didn't do it," informed Gladio.

"What?" Noctis whispered, his eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about? We are talking about Ravus Nox Fleuret, aren't we? The same guy who held a sword to our necks, ready to kill us at any moment? That guy?"

"I'm afraid so," Ignis murmured, leaning forward a bit. "Ravus . . . he started to say something about giving something to you, but he was interrupted by Ardyn. He had the opportunity to kill us right there, but he didn't. If I recall correctly, he also called out to Ardyn to stop his attack on us, but my memory of that day and those moments remains a bit hazy."

"No, he did," Prompto confirmed as he remembered that day. "Ardyn was talking to me and I heard Ravus stop him in the distance. Of course, that's when Ardyn took him down, too. I don't know who grabbed his body because Gladio woke up shortly after and we managed to escape with Iggy before anyone did, but I do remember looking back and seeing him still knocked out on the ground. I thought the spell that Ardyn used killed him, but maybe not."

"The Empire must have grabbed his body once we left, but who knows what would have happened to us if we had been there when they returned. I don't believe me being incapacitated would've have made another round of fighting any easier. Ravus may not have been entirely good, but he wasn't inherently evil, either. It's a shame we weren't able to learn what it was that he had to tell us," Ignis adjusted his glasses as he lamented on the High Commander.

Noctis tossed his book back into the pile and rolled his eyes. "Oh, so what? He had a sudden change of heart? He didn't seem too concerned about Luna's well being when he was placed as High Commander of the army that marked her as the enemy. His sister is dead and it's probably all thanks to his handiwork.."

Gladio slammed his book closed. His eyebrows were furrowed and his jaw was clenched. "Get a grip on yourself. We were there, Noct; you weren't."

"Not by choice, _Gladio_. I would have been there, but unfortunately, _I_ was a little _busy_."

"Oh, so it's _our_ fault now? We were held back from helping you and it's _our_ fault?"

Noctis pointed a finger at him. "Don't put words in my mouth."

Gladio threw his hands in the air, annoyed. "You know, I was all for cutting you some slack after everything that has gone down, but you haven't shown one ounce of concern for any of us. Prompto kept our asses afloat when everything was pretty much hopeless, and have you even so much as thanked him for keeping your best friends alive? Have you asked Ignis how he's doing? If he's ok? Since you've woken up, have you done _one thing_ to show us that you are ready to take on the task at hand?"

"Just because you're feeling guilty that you're the shield of the group and you couldn't save yourself or anyone else, that doesn't mean you get to push those insecurities on me," Noctis responded scathingly. Gladio furiously leaped to his feet, knocking over the table and all of the books on it. Noctis jumped to his feet as well, his face red with rage. Prompto and Ignis both let out a sharp cry of surprise and reflexively backed their chairs up to avoid getting in either one's way, too stunned to even think of getting involved. As Gladio started toward Noctis, enraged, the phone in Noctis' pocket rang.

He let it ring a couple of times, his eyes still locked with Gladio's, before he pulled the phone out. "It's Cor," he identified from the caller ID. He moved away from the group and the chaos before them, answering the call with a monotonous "hello" and keeping his voice low.

Ignis took a deep breath and reached down, feeling around for a book that fell by his feet. "That was unnecessary."

"Yeah, what the hell, man?" Prompto cursed, now pulling the table back upright. "You know he's not thinking clearly right now, so why take anything he says seriously?"

"Just because he's 'not thinking clearly', that gives him a free pass to let his responsibilities fall to the wayside? We're all adults here and we should act like it; not sit around and mope while the world around us goes to shit," Gladio growled and turned his attention to Ignis, who was now picking up another book off the floor to place in his lap. "You may have 'babysitter' listed in your job description, Ignis, but I sure as hell don't. I didn't take on this role to coddle the prince. My duty is to ensure that his goals remain clear and that he keeps his role as future king number one in his mind."

"There's a fine line between ensuring that Noct's goals are clear and just being cruel," Ignis warned. "I know you're hurt and I know you feel great guilt about everything, but taking that out on Noct won't help. Go take a minute to collect your thoughts and come back when you're calmer. These fights aren't helping our situation any."

"I'm not-"

"Now, Gladio," Ignis insisted again, this time a lot more forceful with his words. Gladio wanted to argue his point, but he looked around at the mess he'd created by knocking the table aside and closed his mouth. With his fists clenched firmly by his side, he stalked far enough away to be alone but stayed close enough to hear if anyone called him.

With the table replaced where it was before, Prompto quietly started picking up all the scattered texts and stacked them neatly on the table. He reached for the one that Ignis was holding, but for some reason, Ignis kept his grip firm on it.

"I can take that if you want."

Ignis smiled and traced a finger over the cover, finding the lettering standing out slightly. Prompto stood, looking down at him with concern. As he reached down for the book again, he pulled his hand back quickly when Ignis brought his head up, his smile now faded. He held the book out to Prompto, who cautiously took it and held it close to his chest. "Your vision could still return, Iggy. Your left eye may be damaged beyond repair, but that doesn't mean your right eye is completely lost. Who knows? You could wake up one day and be able to read this book, again. There's still a chance."

Ignis sighed, shaking his head. They both knew that Prompto was just blowing hot air to make Ignis feel better, but still, all he could see was emptiness and the faint glimmer of light. His wounds had healed enough for them to know that this was most likely a permanent condition, even if they tried to deny it with false hope and inspirational speeches to each other.

Noctis bid farewell to Cor on the phone and hung up, turning around and coming back to the table. "What did the Marshall have to say?" Ignis asked.

"Just said he's been trying to get a hold of us ever since he heard about Leviathan and Luna, but obviously lines have been jammed. He sends his regards about your condition," Noctis relayed. Ignis nodded and motioned for Noct to continue. "He also had some information on the next Royal Tomb for us. Said something about it being located somewhere near the Cartanica train station in the abandoned mines. He didn't know the specifics, but at least it's better than nothing."

"Woohoo! That's awesome! Hey, Gladio! Did you hear that? We have information on the Tombs! It's somewhere in Cartanica!" Prompto called out to Gladio, who was still standing a distance away and staring off into the waters around them. Reluctantly, he turned around and came back to the table but did not take his seat, instead standing defiantly and turning his chin up at Noctis.

"You _do_ realize that Cartanica is in Niflheim, right? Enemy territory? This isn't just some walk in the park we're talking about here," he spat sarcastically, "This is life or death. No need to get all excited about this."

"We'll have to go into Niflheim, anyway. Last we heard, the Crystal had been moved to Gralea, the capital city of Niflheim. We can take the train into Gralea and get off in Cartanica for the Royal Arm," Ignis briefed.

Prompto turned to Noct. "Either way, we still have a lead! Cid will be here soon, he can take us to the shipyard, we'll hike to the nearest train station, and BAM! On our way!"

"We'll take the train bound for Gralea and stop in Tenebrae along the way," Noctis stated.

Gladio rolled his eyes. "Tenebrae? We won't have time to stop in Tenebrae. We're going to Cartanica and then we're going to Gralea. No stops."

"We're stopping in Tenebrae," Noct repeated, his teeth clenched in anger. "Come with me or don't, but we're going. That's final."

He brushed past Gladio, his shoulder bumping Gladio's arm, and walked back to the Levelle. Once again, Gladio growled under his breath, trying hard to contain his anger as he watched Noctis' back as it left the group behind. Ignis got to his feet, grabbing his cane beside him and moving to stand next to Gladio. He sensed Gladio's eyes cast down to him and he felt the frustration boring holes into his being. "I don't think it's too out of the question to stop in Tenebrae if it means giving closure to Noct, don't you agree?"

He closed his eyes, rubbing the back of his neck in frustration. "Yeah, I guess; But we won't stay for long. I can't imagine the death of the Oracle doing wonderful things for this world. The sooner we get to that Crystal so Noct can realize his true, full potential, the better. He just needs to stop with the moping and start with the leading."

"There's still the whole 'fiance stabbed in front of him' thing that you keep forgetting . . ." Prompto reminded in a hushed voice. Gladio ignored his comment and followed Noctis back into the Levelle, his posture slightly hunched as he left. Ignis felt Prompto's hand on his elbow he turned his eyes to the gesture.

"He doesn't know how else to deal with his grief and sadness, so he channels it into anger," Ignis thought aloud. "As long as I've known him, he's never been one to express emotions in any other way than anger. He'll work through this, but I don't anticipate it getting any easier in the foreseeable future."

"That still doesn't make it ok. We're all hurting, but this fighting is going to tear us apart, you know?" Prompto worried. He sighed, squeezed Ignis' elbow and led him back to the Levelle, leaving the books on the table behind them.

* * *

" _How does it feel to live in a world of darkness? To never see the light of day again?"_

" _Please . . ."_

 _"Take your sight away and you're completely useless, Ignis Scientia."_

 _"NO!"_

Ignis thrashed around. He felt hands on his arms, pinning him to his bed. Someone was yelling at him, trying to get him to calm down.

"Ignis! Ignis wake up, you're having another bad dream! Stop! Wake up!"

"Get off me!"

"Ignis, dammit, it's me! Prompto! Wake up!"

His eye popped open and he gasped, his thrashing slowing to a stop. The grip on his arms stayed on him for a bit longer before releasing him. He felt the cold sweat beaded on his forehead and running down his back and his throat was slightly sore from yelling.

"Hey, buddy. Holy crap, you can put up a fight, that's for sure," he was breathing hard from holding him down. "Are you awake now? You ok?"

It took a second for Ignis to really understand that he was back in his room and not in the middle of a rainy Altissia, fighting for his life. Prompto must have turned on the lamp by his bedside because he saw a faint light in his sight. Instinctively, he reached for his glasses but didn't find them nearby. _Oh yeah, that's right. I don't need them._ Slowly, he sat up and held a hand to his forehead, wiping his sweat-soaked hair from his forehead. Prompto was sitting quietly on the bed beside him, watching him.

"I-I'm sorry about that. I didn't . . . I'm-."

"Nah, don't apologize. That's what I'm here for. Hell, I'd do the same for Gladio and Noct, too, if I needed to. Although, I would probably need help if it were Gladio since he's got me by like a whole foot and like an extra 150 pounds," he chuckled.

Ignis didn't laugh. He grasped at a handful of sheets, feeling incredibly vulnerable. "Did . . . is anyone-."

"Awake? No, they're still sleeping. Or, at least, I think they are. I just got up to get a drink of water and I heard you as I was coming back to my room. Here, you can have some if you want," Prompto handed the glass of water to Ignis, who promptly nudged it away. Prompto set it back down on the nightstand. "Hey, come on. There's nothing to be ashamed of. So what, you're having nightmares? We all get them."

"Not like this, I'm afraid," Ignis whispered, his breathing finally settling back into a normal rate.

Prompto shrugged. "No, probably not. But who else has been through what you went through and lived to see the next day? You don't have to always be strong in front of us. We're your friends and we want to help you."

Ignis waved his hand, dismissing the idea. "I don't want to, nor do I need to, put the burden of taking care of me on the three of you. I'm fine. I may be a little slow for the time being and I may not be able to cook or chauffeur you around, but I'm fine."

He groaned. "No, Ignis, you're not fine. It's really hard to see you like this and I can't sit back anymore and pretend that you're ok just because you're too stubborn to admit it. Let us help you get through this," the blonde pleaded.

Ignis took a deep breath and turned to his friend, his face illuminated by the moonlight through the window and exposing his healing wounds. "I-I can't stand the thought of being in the way or of being an encumbrance to everyone. How can I go from someone whom everyone was able to rely on, to now being the person who can't do anything alone?"

Prompto shrugged again and poked his arm reassuringly. "Not sure, but I'm here to help you figure it out. And I'll be here every step of the way, no questions asked, alright? Now," he inched off the bed and turned off the light that he'd hastily turned on when he first came in the room, "I think it's time to go back to sleep. Seriously, though, I'm in the next room over. I don't care if it's just that you need someone to sit in here while you fall asleep. Just yell for me if you need anything, ok?"

Ignis settled back down into his bed, feeling uneasy again at the thought of falling back to sleep, but not voicing this out loud. "I appreciate it."

"Night, Iggy," he said as he closed the door behind him, leaving Ignis alone once again.

* * *

The next morning, Prompto and Ignis were downstairs, chatting at a table just outside the Levelle's doors. The heat started to creep up on them even though it was so early in the morning. Despite the events of the night, Prompto didn't bring anything up; in fact, it almost would have appeared as though nothing had happened at all. It relieved Ignis to know that Prompto was keeping this close to himself and he silently prayed it would stay that way.

Gladio joined them in mid-conversation. He was much friendlier than he had been the prior day, but that could have been because Noct wasn't sitting with them yet. He ate an apple that he found in the kitchen and offered one each to the other two, who took them graciously.

Prompto noticed that Gladio looked like he was in deep thought. "Got something on your mind you'd like to share with the class?" he teased.

Gladio took another bite of his apple and chewed longer than necessary, avoiding whatever it was that he was thinking. Finally, he swallowed and glanced at Ignis beside him. "We know that Cid should be arriving in the next day or so. Shouldn't we talk about the big elephant in the room?"

Ignis flinched, knowing where this conversation was headed. Both men turned their eyes toward him and he suddenly felt incredibly uncomfortable. "Yes?" he quietly inquired, keeping his head down.

Gladio played with the half-eaten apple in his hand nervously. "Iggy, have you thought about staying behind in Lestallum until we can get back there? Iris and Talcott could watch you and make sure you're alright and the doctors there are great. They can monitor your condition and everything."

Prompto choked on the bit of apple he had in his mouth. "You want us to leave him?" he managed through his coughing fit.

"I don't _want_ to leave him, but we have to be reasonable here. Iggy, you know if the roles were reversed, you would be suggesting the same thing."

He thought about this and cursed in his head. Although he didn't want to willingly admit it, there was definitely the chance that he would propose the very idea if it were Gladio that was handicapped, but he shook his head. "No, I can't stay behind. I took an oath to Noct to stand by his side, no matter what. I have to come."

"I know, but what if something happens to you in battle and we lose you this time? What if you being there ends up hurting one of us? I mean, let's be logical here. We have to stop thinking with our hearts and start thinking with our heads on this one."

"Gladio, please reconsider," he breathed, his head still down. "I don't . . . I can't-."

"He's not staying behind," Noctis confirmed, coming from the Levelle doors. He looked down at Gladio. "We're in this together and have been since day one. He's coming with."

Gladio watched Noctis with an expression that looked somewhat like a mix between anger and defeat. "What if something happens again? Something worse off than before?"

"We could say that about any of us. For all we know, we all could die tomorrow. I mean, you were alright with bringing Prompto with us when we first set out, and he had no experience in this sort of thing. He was awful! No offense, Prom."

"Nah, none taken. I know I sucked."

Noct turned back to Gladio, his eyes stern. "He's coming with us."

Ignis looked up. "I understand that-."

"I'll be by him the entire time, so don't worry about it. I'll make sure he's ok," Prompto interrupted before Ignis could say anything more. He shot him a smile, knowing he wouldn't be able to see it, but hoping he at least knew.

Gladio took another bite of his apple and leaned back in his chair. His eyes turned to Noctis' hands again, noting his fingers were still bare without the ring. He motioned to his hands and snarled. "Still not wearing that ring, are you?"

Noctis pulled it out of his pocket and held it up. "I've got it on me."

"That's not the same as wearing it."

He shot him a glare and dropped the ring back into his pocket, angrily marching back inside and up the stairs, slamming the door behind him. Gladio snarled, throwing his apple into the trash bin behind them as Ignis pinched the bridge of his nose, exhausted. If they couldn't get along now, how could they work together to take back the throne?


	5. Epilogue

**Blind Faith**

 **Epilogue**

It took another week of spotty communication back home and plenty more strained conversations between them, but the four were finally boarding the yacht that Cid safely navigated through the wreckage and they were now heading to Niflheim.

"Everyone seated?" Cid's gruff voice asked over the sound of the waves. Prompto brought Ignis to the bench of seats toward the back of the boat and sat next to him. Since that night, Prompto had made good of his word and hardly left Ignis' side. He helped when he knew Ignis needed it, but also learned when he needed to back off and give him some space. He was never condescending or overbearing about it and his help was appreciated more than Ignis could express.

Gladio remained standing close by, his hands gripped on the bars for support, while Noct stood at the stern, leaning somberly on the rails and letting the wind blow through his freshly-washed hair. He didn't get a verbal response, but Cid powered the boat up and slowly backed it out of the port, leaving the ruined city of Altissia behind.

"Where are we headed, boys?" Cid tried again, careful not to hit any wayward stones or debris in the water.

Without looking up, Gladio responded: "Our end point will be Gralea, but we need to begin in Cartanica. Anyway you can get us close?"

Cid stroked his chin in thought. "Hmmm, I'm not sure. There's a port on the eastern edge of Niflheim, but it's still a ways away from Cartanica. I reckon you could take the Regalia and drive to the train station, but you'd have to be very discrete about it; those Magitek drones are ruthless and if you youngin's get caught . . ." Cid whistled loudly to punctuate his point.

"But, Iggy can't drive," Prompto pointed out.

"No, but Noct can," Ignis kept his gaze to the floor. "It is his father's car, after all. It's our only option at this point."

Noctis pushed himself away from the rails and plodded back to where everyone was, stumbling as the boat rocked in the water. He steadied himself by leaning against the cabin structure. "If I have to drive, I'll do so."

"You're damn right you will," Gladio reviled.

Prompto groaned. "Not again . . ."

"Did you want to drive, Gladio? Because if you're going to keep hassling me for everything, then maybe it might be best that you take the wheel."

"If you boys are gonna start fightin' on this ship, then you best make sure you keep the bloodshed to a minimum. I ain't about to clean up any mess you two make," Cid chided, his eyes still to the horizon ahead. Both Noct and Gladio bared their teeth at each other and turned away. Prompto let out a sigh of relief and Ignis remained stoic and neutral.

The cruise over the water was uneventful after that and they made good time to the Niflheim port. Once docked, they stepped onto solid ground and waited patiently as Cid backed the Regalia out of the boat's storage and parked it next to them. He stepped out and dusted off his hands with finality. "She's a real beaut. You're lucky to be driving that girl around, you hear? Take care of her," he looked over the four men before him and nodded. "And take care of yourselves, as well. Remember, you're on dangerous grounds now. Keep your heads down and nose clean for the time being until you make it to the train station. From there, it should only be a short ride to Cartanica," Cid reminded.

They all proceeded to shake hands with the older man, knowing this was goodbye for now. "Thanks for getting us here. We'll try to keep in touch along the way," Ignis said as he opened the back driver side door of the Regalia, sitting beside Gladio. Noctis gave a final nod to Cid and sadly walked to the driver's side of the car, looking back one more time before getting in and starting the ignition, pressing a button to put the top of the Regalia down. Prompto leaned over the back of his seat and waved from the passenger seat, lurching back as Noctis quickly accelerated on the gas, kicking up gravel in their wake. Cid grew smaller in the rearview mirror until he completely disappeared from view.

Even with Altissia behind them, Ignis still felt the gnawing sense of dread in the pit of his stomach. The city was supposed to bring them immense hope and happiness but ended up taking so much from them. He could only hope that they were prepared to take on whatever fate was going to throw at them, especially with him not able to help as much as he used to.

"Cartanica, here we come!" Prompto encouraged to the solemn group, trying desperately to rid the tension between them.

Ignis gave a small smile and looked up to the sky. Even though he couldn't see, he still knew the sun was high above them by the minuscule amount of light he was able to sense. That small amount of light gave him hope, however slight, that they could successfully help Noct take back the throne and rid the world of its daemons.

"Here we come."

* * *

 _Author's Note: Well, there you have it! I really hope you enjoyed my take on what happened in Altissia. Now, I'm gearing up to start writing the story I've been DYING to write. It'll be an IgnisxAranea fic that spans the 10 years between Chapter 13 and 14. I'm honestly so excited to get this one going and it's all I've been able to think of. Hopefully I'll find you over there (I've found I usually update in a weeks time to give myself enough time to write up the chapter, reread it, edit it, edit it again, edit it one more time, and then finally post it; So hopefully the Prologue and Chapter 1 will be up by the end of this upcoming week). In the meantime, I'm debating setting up a Tumblr or Livejournal to keep tabs on my progress with my fics, ideas, etc. I'll let you know if I do._

 _Thanks so much! See you soon!_


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